Transgender People in the Indonesian Muslim Society: The Social and Islamic Construction
Abstract
This study examines the issue of transgender identities in Indonesian Muslim society as a minority group that often receives discrimination, focusing on the intersection of marginalization, religiosity, and Islamic interpretation. They are perceived as cursed people who are accused of spreading diseases, and frequently encounter discrimination, social exclusion, and negative stigma as part of the social problems. Moreover, Islam, as the religion practiced by the majority of Indonesians, has contributed to the process of discrimination against transgender people. For instance, the Indonesian Ulama Council issued a fatwa on rejecting transgender groups. Hence, this study aims to further explore the lived experiences of transgender people and investigate the possibility of developing a more humanistic reinterpretation of several Qur’anic verses regarding their identities. This study employed a qualitative approach, using in-depth interviews, life-history narratives, and observations conducted at the Pondok Pesantren Waria Al-Fatah in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The elicited data were then examined using cultural analysis. The findings reveal that transgender people encountered multiple challenges throughout their lives, including social exclusion and discrimination. Some were forced to leave their homes in search of refuge, with Yogyakarta being one of their destinations. They actively engage in religious practices and collective Islamic learning as strategies for preserving dignity, spirituality, and social belonging amid persistent marginalization. Furthermore, this study argues for a more humanistic reinterpretation of Qur’anic verses that prioritizes human dignity, compassion, and social justice by acknowledging the presence of transgender people as legitimate moral and social subjects within Muslim communities. This study contributes to contemporary Islamic discourse by offering an alternative framework for inclusive Islamic engagement with gender diversity.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Abriyani, E., Noviana, L., Amalina, G. L., & Putri, N. (2022). Waris transgender. Jurnal Antologi Hukum, 2(2). https://doi.org/10.21154/antologihukum.v2i2.1326
Abrori, F. (2015, October 13). Disebut pernikahan sejenis di Boyolali, pasangan ini buka suara. Liputan6.Com. https://www.liputan6.com/news/read/2339069/disebut-pernikahan-sejenis-di-boyolali-pasangan-ini-buka-suara
Afif, Muh. B. (2019). Islam and transgender (A study of hadith about transgender). International Journal of Nusantara Islam, 7(2). https://doi.org/10.15575/ijni.v7i2.6138
Al Alwani, T. J. (2001). Metodologi hukum Islam modern. UII Press.
Alipour, M. (2017). Islamic shari’a law, neotraditionalist Muslim scholars and transgender sex-reassignment surgery: A case study of Ayatollah Khomeini’s and Sheikh al-Tantawi’s fatwas. International Journal of Transgenderism, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/15532739.2016.1250239
Ash Shabah, M. A. (2021). Kedudukan transgender dalam sistem kewarisan Islam dan adat. Maslahah: Jurnal Hukum Islam Dan Perbankan Syariah, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.33558/maslahah.v12i1.2628
Atmojo, K. (1987). Kami bukan lelaki: Sebuah sketsa kehidupan kaum transgender. Grafiti.
Auda, J. (2010). Fiqh al-maqāṣid: A Textbook of maqasid al-shariah and contemporary issues. IIIT Pres.
Azizah, K. N. (2019, December 9). 46 ribu kasus baru pertahun, HIV di RI terbanyak ke-3 di Asia Pasifik. healthdetik.com. https://health.detik.com/berita-detikhealth/d-4816157/46-ribu-kasus-baru-pertahun-hiv-di-ri-terbanyak-ke-3-di-asia-pasifik
Bachri, S., Samuri, M. A. A., Moosa, N., Duran, B. N., & Ramadhita. (2023). The criminalization of polyamory perspective Islamic penal law and Indonesian new penal code. Al-Istinbath: Jurnal Hukum Islam, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.29240/jhi.v8i2.7221
Bariola, E., Lyons, A., Leonard, W., Pitts, M., Badcock, P., & Couch, M. (2015). Demographic and psychosocial factors associated with psychological distress and resilience among transgender people. American Journal of Public Health, 105(10). https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2015.302763
Batista, R. L., & Barros Oliveira, L. M. (2024). The genetics and hormonal basis of human gender identity. In Archives of Endocrinology and Metabolism (Vol. 68, Number Special-Issue 1). https://doi.org/10.20945/2359-4292-2024-0232
BBC News Indonesia. (2016, February 26). Pesantren waria di Yogyakarta ditutup, LBH protes. BBC News Indonesia. https://www.bbc.com/indonesia/berita_indonesia/2016/02/160225_indonesia_ponpes_waria_ditutup
Berger, P. L. (1994). Langit suci: Agama sebagai realitas sosial. LP3ES.
Berger, P. L., & Luckmann, T. (1990). Tafsir sosial atas kenyataan. LP3ES.
Bith-Melander, P., Sheoran, B., Sheth, L., Bermudez, C., Drone, J., Wood, W., & Schroeder, K. (2010). Understanding sociocultural and psychological factors affecting transgender people of color in San Francisco. Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, 21(3). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jana.2010.01.008
Chen, D., Kyweluk, M. A., Sajwani, A., Gordon, E. J., Johnson, E. K., Finlayson, C. A., & Woodruff, T. K. (2019). Factors affecting fertility decision-making among transgender adolescents and young adults. LGBT Health, 6(3). https://doi.org/10.1089/lgbt.2018.0250
Cronesberry, K., & Ward, L. (2025). Exploring gender diverse young adults’ gender identity development in online LGBTQIA + communities. International Journal of Transgender Health, 26(4). https://doi.org/10.1080/26895269.2024.2344534
da Silva, R. G., de Abreu, P. D., de Araújo, E. C., Santana, A. D. da S., Sousa, J. de C., Lyra, J., & Santos, C. B. Dos. (2020). Vulnerability in the health of young transgender women living with HIV/AIDS. Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem, 73(5). https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-7167-2019-0046
Davison, N. (1978). Abnormal psichology, an experimental clinical approach. John Willey and Sons, Inc.
Detik.com. (2020, April 8). Fakta-fakta sadis di balik kasus transgender di Jakut tewas dibakar hidup-hidup. detik.com. https://news.detik.com/berita/d-4970337/fakta-fakta-sadis-di-balik-kasus-transgender-di-jakut-tewas-dibakar-hidup-hidup?single=1
Durand, V. M., & David H. Barlow. (2007). Intisari psikologi abnormal (2nd ed.). Pustaka Pelajar.
Etengoff, C., & Rodriguez, E. M. (2022). “At its core, Islam is about standing with the oppressed”: Exploring transgender Muslims’ religious resilience. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 14(4). https://doi.org/10.1037/rel0000325
Fadhlina, A. (2024). Waria, worship, and welfare: Exploring trans women’s conditions of precarity amidst COVID-19 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. TRaNS: Trans-Regional and -National Studies of Southeast Asia, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1017/trn.2024.1
Fadilah, S., Hamdani, H., & Manfarisyah, M. (2022). Analysis of legal position due to sex change: A comparison of Indonesian civil law with Islamic law. Proceedings of Malikussaleh International Conference on Law, Legal Studies and Social Science (MICoLLS), 2. https://doi.org/10.29103/micolls.v2i.93
Gamalama, D., & FX Rudy Gunawan. (2005). Aku perempuan: Jalan berliku seorang dorce gamalama. Gagas Media.
Geertz, C. (1992a). Kebudayaan dan agama. Kanisius.
Geertz, C. (1992b). Tafsir kebudayaan. Kanisius.
Geertz, H. (1983). Keluarga Jawa. Grafiti.
Hentschel, Y. V. (2022). The routledge handbook of Islam and gender. Islam and Christian–Muslim Relations, 33(3). https://doi.org/10.1080/09596410.2022.2066301
Heuken, A. (1079). Ensiklopedia etika medis. Yayasan Cipta Loka Caraka.
Hidayati, A. N., Irviana, D. N., & Nafi’ah, I. W. (2024). Marriage of transgender men and women from the perspective of fiqh munakahat. Nalar Fiqh: Jurnal Hukum Islam, 14(2). https://doi.org/10.30631/nf.v14i2.1307
Howe, J. (2022). The routledge handbook of Islam and gender. In The Routledge Handbook of Islam and Gender. https://www.routledge.com/The-Routledge-Handbook-of-Islam-and-Gender/Howe/p/book/9780367563370
Ibn Qudamah, M. (1998). Al-mughni. Dar al-Fikr.
Ilyas, H. (2002). Orientasi seksual dari kajian Islam. In S. E. Santosa (Ed.), Islam dan Konstruksi Seksualitas. PSW IAIN Yogyakarta, The Ford Foundation, and Pustaka Pelajar.
Iqbal, M. (2015, October 12). Bantah pernikahan sejenis, ini kisah kasih Darno-Dumani. tempo.co.id. https://nasional.tempo.co/read/708816/bantah-pernikahan-sejenis-ini-kisah-kasih-darno-dumani
Isnaini, & Salmet. (2010). Bimbingan konseling Islam kepada transgender. Jurnal Dakwah, 10(02), 173–202.
Jagiella, L. (2022). Among the eunuchs: A Muslim transgender journey. Hurst Publishers. https://newbooksnetwork.com/among-the-eunuchs
Kalichman, S. C., Hernandez, D., Finneran, S., Price, D., & Driver, R. (2017). Transgender women and HIV-related health disparities: Falling off the HIV treatment cascade. Sexual Health, 14(5). https://doi.org/10.1071/SH17015
Kamali, M. H. (2008). Maqāṣid al-shari‘ah and gender justice. Islamic Texts Society.
Kamali, Muh. H. (1996). Prinsip danteori-teori hukum Islam. Pustaka Pelajar.
Kartono, K. (2009). Psikologi abnormal dan abnormalitas seksual. Mandar Maju.
Keller, K. (2009). Transgender health and HIV. BETA Bulletin of Experimental Treatments for AIDS : A Publication of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, 21(4), 40–50. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20034245/
Kennis, M., Staicu, R., Dewitte, M., T’Sjoen, G., Sack, A. T., & Duecker, F. (2024). Heed lessons from past studies involving transgender people: first, do no harm. Nature 629(8014). https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-01521-7
Kinsey, A. C., Pomeroy, W. R., & Martin, C. E. (1948). Sexual behavior in the human male. The Saunders Company.
Koeswinarno. (1996). Transgender dan penyakit menular seksual. Pusat Penelitian Kependudukan, Universitas Gadjah Mada.
Koeswinarno. (2000). Seks, bahasa, dan identitas: Studi tentang waria di Yogyakarta. Jurnal Antropologi, 2(3).
Koeswinarno. (2002). Pengaruh ruang sosial terhadap waria serta tinjauan Islam terhadapnya: Studi kasus di Yogyakarta. Jurnal Penelitian Agama, XI(2).
Koeswinarno. (2003). Aspek-aspek kritis dunia kaum ketiga. Musawa, 02(01), 71-85.
Koeswinarno. (2004). Hidup Sebagai waria. LKiS.
Koeswinarno, Iswanto, A., & Burhani, H. (2022). LGBT di Indonesia dalam realitas agama dan dunia maya. LD Press.
Koeswinarno, & Mustolehudin. (2017). Islam, gay and marginalization: A study on the religious behaviours of gays in Yogyakarta. Indonesian Journal of Islam and Muslim Societies, 07(01), 125–152. https://doi.org/10.18326/ijims.v7i1.125-152
Komisi Penyiaran Indonesia. (2016). Surat edaran komisi penyiaran Indonesia No. 203/K/KPI/02016. In Komisi Penyiaran Indonesia. Komisi Penyiaran Indonesia.
Kompas.com. (2011, December 9). Iran subsidi biaya ganti kelamin. Kompas.Com. https://internasional.kompas.com/read/2011/12/09/1326270/Iran.Subsidi.Biaya.Ganti.Kelamin
Kota, K. K., Luo, Q., Beer, L., Dasgupta, S., & McCree, D. H. (2023). Stigma, discrimination, and mental health outcomes among transgender women with diagnosed HIV infection in the United States, 2015-2018. Public Health Reports, 138(5). https://doi.org/10.1177/00333549221123583
Levin, R. N., Erickson-Schroth, L., Mak, K., & Edmiston, E. K. (2023). Biological studies of transgender identity: A critical review. Journal of Gay and Lesbian Mental Health, 27(3). https://doi.org/10.1080/19359705.2022.2127042
Lubis, S. D. (2023). Kedudukan transgender terhadap hak waris ditinjau dari fiqh mawaris. Journal Analytica Islamica, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.30829/jai.v12i1.14519
Manshur, M. I. A., & Al-Barsany, N. I. (1981). Transgender dan pengubahan kelamin ditinjau dari hukum Islam. Nur Cahaya.
Masnun. (2011). Waria dan shalat: Reinterpretasi fikih untuk kaum waria. Musawa, 10(01), 123–134. https://doi.org/10.14421/musawa.2011.101.123-134
Minasochah. (2004). Praktek perkawinan transgender ditinjau dari hukum Islam: Studi kasus di Kota Yogyakarta. IAIN Sunan Kalijaga.
Minhaji, A. (2004). Hukum Islam: Antara skralitas dan profanitas (Perspektif Sejarah Sosial). UIN Sunan Kalijaga.
Muhsin, S. M., Yahya, F., Parachottil, R., Shaikh, S., & Chin, A. H. B. (2024). Sex reassignment surgery, marriage, and reproductive rights of intersex and transgender people in Sunni Islam. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 53(5). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-024-02813-9
Muiz, A. (2015). Benang kusut fiqh waria (Analisis kritis terhadap polemik identitas waria dalam Islam). Jurnal At-Turas, 2(1). https://plu.mx/plum/a/?doi=10.33650/at-turas.v2i1.168
Mulder, N. (1983). Kebatinan dan hidup sehari-hari orang Jawa kelangsungan dan perubahan kulturil. PT Gramedia.
Mustaqim, A. (2004). Homoseksual dalam tafsis klasik dan kontemporer. Musawa, 02(01), 1–14.
Nabila, I. (2020, August 2). Remaja 15 tahun menangis dicabuli 3 waria, pelakau pegangi kedua tangan hingga celana korban. tribunnews.com. https://m.tribunnews.com/regional/2020/08/02/remaja-15-tahun-menangis-dicabuli-3-waria-pelaku-pegangi-kedua-tangan-hingga-celana-korban?page=2
Nadia, Z. (2003). Waria dalam pandangan Islam. Musawa, 2(01), 87–107. https://doi.org/10.14421/musawa.2003.21.87-107
Notarous, S. (2020). Tindakan sosial pemuka agama Islam terhadap keberadaan transgender. TASAMUH: Jurnal Studi Islam, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.47945/tasamuh.v12i2.251
Oetomo, B. S. (2017). Perkawinan sejenis di Kota Jember.
Oetomo, B. S., & Dahlan. (2015). Perkawinan sejenis di Boyolali Jawa Tengah.
Parkinson, P. (2023). Gender identity discrimination and religious freedom. Journal of Law and Religion, 38(1). https://doi.org/10.1017/jlr.2022.45
Perez, J., & Pepping, C. A. (2025). Relationship experiences of transgender and non-binary adults: Exploring dating goals, relationship structures, minority stress, sexual fetishization, and relationship victimization. International Journal of Transgender Health, 26(4). https://doi.org/10.1080/26895269.2024.2316690
Polymenopoulou, E. (2018). LGBTI rights in Indonesia: A human rights perspective. Asia Pacific Journal on Human Rights and the Law, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1163/15718158-01901002
Radatilla, & Aisyah, S. (2021a). Islamic law and positive law in Indonesia’s transgender behavior. Mazahibuna. https://doi.org/10.24252/mh.v3i2.22035
Radatilla, & Aisyah, S. (2021b). Islamic law and positive law in Indonesia’s transgender behavior. Mazahibuna. https://doi.org/10.24252/mh.v3i2.22035
Ramadan, A. A. M. (2021, May 16). Muncul klaster masjid di Kota Malang, begini penjelasan satgas Covid-19. malang.suara.com. https://malang.suara.com/read/2021/05/16/160453/muncul-klaster-masjid-di-kota-malang-begini-penjelasan-satgas-covid-19
Rana, A. A., & Siddique, H. M. (2022). The transgender persons (protection of rights) act 2018: A shariah appraisal of self-perceived gender identity and right of inheritance of the transgender. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4145921
Redcay, A., Counselman-Carpenter, B., Luquet, W., & Gunn, J. (2025). The impact of social, legal, and medical transition on psychological distress for transgender persons. Advances in Social Work, 25(1). https://doi.org/10.18060/27640
Rehman, H. U., Zeeshan, M., & Hussain, H. R. (2024). Islamic jurisprudence on gender reassignment: A critical review of classical and modern views. Scholar Insight Journal, 2(2), 70-86. https://scholarinsightjournal.com/index.php/sij/article/view/48
Rohmawati, R., Chakim, A., & Rofiqoh, L. (2018). Perkawinan LGBT perspektif hukum Islam dan hukum positif. Istinbath, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.20414/ijhi.v17i1.34
Rushd, M. bin A. bin M. (2007). Bidayat al-mujtahid wa nihayat al-muqtasid. In Bidayatul Mujtahid wa Nihayatul Muqtashid (Vol. 1).
Safri, A. N. (2016). Penerimaan keluarga terhadap waria atau transgender (Studi kasus atas waria/transgender di Pesantren Waria Al-Fatah Yogyakarta). Nizham, 05(01), 26–41. https://e-journal.metrouniv.ac.id/nizham/article/view/903
Safri, A. N. (2020). Memahami keragaman gender dan seksualitas. Lintang Books.
Noor, S., Ullah, I., Hassan, M., Yasir, M., & Ahmad, F. (2024). Rights of transgender in Islam and contemporary practices in Pakistan: An analytical study. Social Science Review Archives, 2(2), 1212–1227. https://doi.org/10.70670/sra.v2i2.174
Shunniya. (2005). Jangan ambil jilbabku. Galang.
Siregar, R. (2020, February 12). Pandangan Islam terhadap waria, begini kisahnya. kalam sindonews.com. https://kalam.sindonews.com/berita/1524931/70/pandangan-islam-terhadap-waria-begini-kisahnya
Siti Fatimah. (2025). Fiqih dan gender: Kajian hukum Islam terhadap isu transgender dan indentitas gender non-biner. Indonesian Journal of Islamic Jurisprudence, Economic and Legal Theory, 3(2). https://doi.org/10.62976/ijijel.v3i2.1142
Soich, M. (2021). “Back to where they were”: The socio-discursive representation of transgender sex workers and urban space in a television news report. Frontiers in Sociology, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2021.633699
Spradley, J. P. (1997). Metode etnografi. Tiara Wacana.
Sulaiman, A. D. (n.d.). Sunan Abu Dawud, Juz IV. Dar al-fikri.
Sultan, K., Madni, H. H., Ibrahim, S., & Athar, S. (2023). Transgender rights and debate from an Islamic legal perspective. Al-Qanṭara, 9(3), 258-267. https://alqantarajournal.com/index.php/Journal/article/view/355
Supriatna, M. (2015, December 27). Darino-Dumani: Kisah cinta yang dibunuh. indoprogres.com. https://indoprogress.com/2015/12/darino-dumani-kisah-cinta-yang-dibunuh/
The Qur'an (M. A. S. Abdel Haleem, Trans.). (2004). Oxford University Press.
Ullah, H., Hussain, Z., Khan, S., Ali, F., & Khan, N. I. (2022). Transgender and sex exploration in the light of Islamic law. Webology, 19(1), 8473–8484. http://www.webology.org
Wesp, L. M., Malcoe, L. H., Elliott, A., & Poteat, T. (2019). Intersectionality research for transgender health justice: A theory-driven conceptual framework for structural analysis of transgender health inequities. Transgender Health, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.1089/trgh.2019.0039
Widhi K, N. (2016, February 24). KPI larang TV tampilkan karakter pria yang bergaya seperti wanita. detiknews.com. https://news.detik.com/berita/d-3149982/kpi-larang-tv-tampilkan-karakter-pria-yang-bergaya-seperti-wanita
Wirawati, N. L. P. J. (2016, May 20). Kebaya, merangkul waria dalam sebuah keluarga. wargayogya.net. https://wargajogja.net/komunitas/kebaya-merangkul-waria-dalam-sebuah-keluarga.html
Wolter, A., Hegarty, B., Susetyo, I., Sugiharto, L., Mallay, R., Kaunang, J., & Wardhana, A. (2025). The structural violence of cisgender norms: A participatory qualitative study of access to health and social welfare for older transgender women in Indonesia. International Journal of Transgender Health, 26(4). https://doi.org/10.1080/26895269.2024.2443749
Yazdanpanahi, Z., Ebrahimi, A., Badrabadi, N., & Akbarzadeh, M. (2023). Gender dysphoria, its causes and symptoms: A review. Journal of Health Science and Medical Research, 41(1). https://doi.org/10.31584/jhsmr.2022883
Yusdani. (1994). Konfigurasi hukum Islam modern. Jurnal Unisia, 24, 85–107. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.20885/unisia.v0i24.5431
Yusdani. (1998). Konfigurasi pemikiran hukum Islam. UII Press.
Zaharin, A. A. M., & Pallotta-Chiarolli, M. (2020). Countering Islamic conservatism on being transgender: Clarifying Tantawi’s and Khomeini’s fatwas from the progressive Muslim standpoint. International Journal of Transgender Health, 21(3). https://doi.org/10.1080/26895269.2020.1778238
Zahed, L. L. M., & S. Bharat, A. (2020). Homosexuality, transidentity, and Islam: a study of scripture confronting the politics of gender and sexuality. In Homosexuality, transidentity, and Islam: A study of scripture confronting the politics of gender and sexuality.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.21043/qijis.v14i1.28904
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.