Shinta Ratri
The annual Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk was established in 2005 to honour the work of HRDs who are courageously making outstanding contributions to the promotion and protection of the human rights of others, often at great personal risk to themselves.
Shinta Ratri is a Muslim transwoman (waria) who co-founded the Pondok Pesantren Waria, an Islamic boarding house for trans individuals based in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, the world’s only Islamic boarding house for transgender people. Pesantren Waria is a powerful and innovative Islamic boarding house created by and for trans persons. It accommodates the needs of trans individuals and creates a safe space for them to practice their religion and be who they are. Since 2016 there has been a marked increase in the severity and persistence of anti-LGBT+ rhetoric in Indonesia which has resulted in the LGBT+ community being the target of attacks. The boarding house was targeted by a mob and forced to close temporarily.
The Indonesian archipelago is home to myriad cultures, some of which have historically
recognised diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. However, discrimination against
LGBT+ individuals has persisted for years in the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, and
conditions for the LGBT+ community have deteriorated steadily since January / February 2016
when anti-LGBT+ statements ranging from the absurd to the apocalyptic echoed through
Indonesia’s media.
