MUI Proposes Replacing 'LGBT' Term with 'LGSP', Citing Reasons
The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) considers the term LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) for groups with different sexual orientations to be inaccurate, leading the institution to propose a new term.
The Chairman of MUI for Fatwa, Prof. KH. Asrorun Niam Sholeh, believes that the term LGBT has been used as a form of euphemism to soften the meaning of certain behaviours. As an alternative, the MUI is calling on all parties to popularise the term LGSP, an acronym for Lesbian, Gay, Sodomy, and Molestation. This shift in terminology aims to restore the legal substance that such actions are prohibited under both religious and positive law.
“Within society, there are deviations and deviations from normative values that are being permitted through the euphemism of terms. Therefore, the MUI is consciously breaking away from the term LGBT and returning to the term LGSP so that the public understands that these are criminal acts and forbidden deeds,” said Prof. Niam during the 10th Annual International Conference on Fatwa Studies (IACFS) held at the JS Luwansa Hotel, South Jakarta, on Monday night.
The Professor of Fiqh at UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta warned that allowing this blurring of terms is extremely dangerous. If left unchecked, moral deviations will gradually be accepted as common practice, eventually being perceived as truth by society.
As a concrete step in this commitment, Prof. Niam announced that the MUI is currently drafting an Academic Paper and a Bill (RUU) against LGSP, which will eventually be presented to the House of Representatives (DPR) and the government. “The MUI is proactively bringing this fatwa to life through the strengthening of regulations. We are preparing the academic paper and the draft law which, God willing, will be submitted to the government and the DPR in the near future,” he stated before hundreds of international scholars and academics.
Previously, the government issued Presidential Regulation Number 111 of 2025 regarding the General National Defence Policy for 2025-2029, which explicitly includes the “spread of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) culture” in the list of non-military threats to the state.
In response, the Freedom of Association Coalition, comprising several human rights activists, believes that both the Presidential Regulation and the MUI’s statement could perpetuate stigma, discrimination, and violence against groups of sexual diversity and gender identity. There are concerns that this will create justification for persecution, as reflected in several instances of violence and silencing across various regions in Indonesia.