Transsexuals find money, peace, joy at Taman Lawang

By Yudha Kartohadiprodjo and Yogita Tahil Ramani

JAKARTA (JP): The father wanted the son to work in the field of medicine. The father would have settled for anything, even if it meant his son mopped hospital floors. But when the son finally told him that he wanted to be a nurse, the father exploded.

"'I have never heard of a male nurse before'," said Julia, mimicking the father before being thrown out of the house. "I asked him 'who's talking about being a male nurse?' Now, here I am, on the streets."

The son, who, like other transsexuals prefers to be known as she, now finds her fate on the sidewalk of Jl. Cimahi, Menteng, Central Jakarta.

Dreams and reality, alteration and rejection; all has become the jagged life of transsexuals like Julia in the area known to Jakartans as Taman Lawang.

Despite society's condemnation, and the prevailing economic upheaval, the transsexuals are still coming to the area.

A residential neighborhood bordered by Jl. Latuharhary and Jl. Kusuma Atmaja, the area is notorious for the parade of transsexuals glamourously dressed to solicit. During peak hours, from 11 p.m. to the early morning hours, a procession of cars fill the streets, causing a traffic jam, especially on weekend nights.

Few cars come for a pick up; most -- filled with teenagers, expatriates and even families -- cruise by just to watch the masquerade. Some cruisers are brave enough to open their car windows; the majority just point and taunt the girls from behind the safety of their tinted windows.

"It is so humiliating sometimes, I feel (my dignity is) reduced to the level of those in Ragunan," said Imelda, standing a couple of meters away from Julia, referring to the city's zoo.

Standing in her green, tight, polyester dress at the intersection of Jl. Taman Sunda Kelapa and Jl. Kusuma Atmaja, Imelda is still restive with the attention.

"Well, what else can I say, if I take people's attitude to heart, I would've committed suicide long time ago," she said.

Imelda came to Jakarta three years ago from Kalimantan, following her high school graduation. After a short stint as a beautician in a beauty parlor, Imelda started to solicit at Taman Lawang. At first, it was just a couple of nights a week.

"It was good money then. In just couples of nights I earned more than what I could have earned in a month," said Imelda.

Her concern in this time of monetary crisis is the cost of transforming herself into a drag queen. Cosmetic prices have gone up significantly, forcing Imelda to buy local products.

Sporting a bleached bob and high-heeled leather boots, her colleague Kelly has her own technique for better looks. "I avoid soft drinks and drink lots of water." She still sticks with imported Kanebo powder foundation, sold for Rp 40,000 in Pasar Senen, which used to cost Rp 10,500. She can still afford imported lipstick and mascara.

Another added expense is the cost of birth control pills -- commonly used by transsexuals to form their feminine figures -- which have increased significantly. The price of the pills they take once in a week has gone up to at least Rp 6,000 a pill.

The number of customers has sharply declined due to the economic crisis. Currently, a transsexual at Taman Lawang would have, at most, six customers a night. Their survival depends heavily on their regular customers, while attempting to avoid steep cuts in fees.

"Regular customers come here very often so I have no problems. By the time I get tired of them, there is always someone new," said Kelly.

It seems that the transsexuals, as well as the patrons, are not aware of the possibility of being infected with HIV. Julia said she and her colleagues would not push their luck too far by forcing their customers to use protection, such as condoms.

They usually charge between Rp 50,000 for a short service such as karaoke (slang for oral sex), to Rp 100,000 for an all- nighter. The current lower demand has forced them to cut their fees but the ladies of Taman Lawang are still "going strong".

"I'd rather go home without any money than destroy my own market. I think my friends feels the same way," said Imelda, who also speaks English -- her ex-boyfriend was an expatriate who used to work for a multinational insurance company prior to the economic upheaval.

Money, apparently, is not the only reason for the transsexuals returning to the area.

"This is the only place where I can be myself. To dress up and be beautiful. To meet and joke around with my own. Without a place like this, I'd have to restrain my own identity. Here I feel unconfined," said Imelda.