House Deputy Speaker Urges Caution in Drafting LGBT Prevention Curriculum

Deputy Speaker of House Commission X, Lalu Hadrian Irfani, has responded to the Ministry of Religious Affairs’ plan to incorporate the prevention of LGBT into the primary school curriculum. He noted that the material must be simple and consider children’s developmental stages. “If what is meant is providing education about health, puberty development, respecting others, and explaining that every child has the right to protection from bullying and violence, that can be part of age-appropriate education,” Lalu said when contacted on Wednesday (22/7/2026). He also requested that the prevention materials be compiled based on facts and take into account the children’s circumstances. “However, the material for fourth-grade students needs to be arranged in simple language, based on facts, and consider the child’s developmental stage,” he added. Lalu cautioned that if the intended LGBT prevention relates to identity, it must be handled carefully. According to him, sexual orientation cannot be prevented through a curriculum. “On the other hand, if what is meant is ‘LGBT prevention’ as a person’s identity, this needs to be explained carefully because sexual orientation and gender identity are not something that can simply be prevented through a curriculum,” he stated. Therefore, Lalu believes education should focus on character building. Additionally, he said it is important to create a safe school environment for children. “The focus of education in schools should remain on character building, ethics, health, respect for others, and creating a safe learning environment for all students,” he said. Previously, the Ministry of Religious Affairs was compiling educational materials on preventing the spread of LGBT, which will be included in the education curriculum. Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs Romo Muhammad Syafi’i said the material is targeted to be given to students starting from the fourth grade of primary school. The compilation of this material is a follow-up to Presidential Regulation Number 111 of 2025 concerning the General Policy on National Defence for 2025-2029. The regulation stipulates that the spread of LGBT culture falls into the category of non-military threats. “Oh LGBT… Yes, there is Presidential Regulation 111 of 2025, where the President stated that the culture—if it is personal LGBT, that is private. But the spread, creating a culture, is a non-military threat to national defence,” Romo Syafi’i said at the Presidential Palace complex in Jakarta on Monday (20/7). Romo Syafi’i explained that the regulation does not target individuals but rather the spread of the culture. Therefore, the Ministry of Religious Affairs is compiling materials to be inserted into the existing curriculum. “So the President is not attacking the individuals, but the spread of the culture. That is a threat to national defence. Because of that, the Ministry of Religious Affairs is compiling a curriculum, which will later be inserted into the existing curriculum,” he said. According to Romo Syafi’i, the material will be integrated into the learning curriculum starting from the fourth grade of primary school. He explained that the learning materials have now been collected and are in the finalisation stage before being inserted into the curriculum. “Providing understanding from primary school level, perhaps starting from grades 4, 5, 6. Then for lower secondary school, grades 1, 2, 3. Upper secondary school, grades 1, 2, 3. Hopefully, with this, they can understand the dangers of the spread of LGBT culture,” Romo Syafi’i said. “We are currently finalising this. All the materials have been collected, we are finalising them, and later they will be inserted into the ongoing curriculum,” he continued.