"It's Not Certain That Jessica Stern Is A US Special Envoy For LGBT, So She Came To RI," Said The Ministry Of Foreign Affairs

Photo by William Bayreuther on Unsplash

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not received confirmation of the planned visit of the United States Special Envoy to apply for LGBTQI + Jessica Stern's right to Indonesia.

"We need to confirm first whether the visit will really be carried out, so now I can't comment further," said Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Teuku Faizasyah when met in Jakarta, Friday, December 2, quoted by Antara.

Previously, the US State Department on its official website announced Stern' planned trip to Vietnam, the Philippines, and finally Indonesia on December 7-9, 2022.

During the visit, Stern is said to be meeting with government officials and civil society representatives to discuss human rights, including advancing the rights of LGBTQI+ people.

The planned visit caused controversy in Indonesia. Strict rejection came from the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) and the Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU) Executive Board.

Deputy Chairperson of MUI Anwar Abbas assessed that Stern' arrival could damage the noble values of religion and culture, because of the six recognized religions in Indonesia, none of them tolerates LGBTQI+ practices.

Meanwhile, PBNU Chairman Ahmad Fahrurrozi said he did not question Stern' presence, as long as he did not carry out the LGBTQI+ campaign in Indonesia.

Gus Fahrur asked Stern to understand that LGBTQI + is a social deviation behavior that is not in accordance with the norms, morals, ethics, religion, and values of Indonesian citizens.

He even mentioned that LGBT behavior is also interpreted as deviation of nature and human nature. Humans, he said, were actually created in two types for couples, namely men and women.

In June 2021, Jessica Stern was appointed directly by President Joe Biden as US Special Envoy to promote Human Rights Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex (LGBTQI+).

Stern is tasked with overseeing the implementation of the Presidential Memorandum on the Acceleration of Human Rights LGBTQI+ around the world.

Prior to joining the US State Department, Stern led OutRight Action International, a leading global LGBTQI+ human rights organization, as executive director for 10 years.