Islamic Lesbian Couple Forced to Marry in Sumatra, Indonesia

Residents forced a couple into marriage in Labuhan Batu, North Sumatra, because they thought the pair were having premarital sex only to find out later the “husband” in the relationship was actually a woman.

Hendra and Trisnawaty Lubis were forced into a same-sex marriage a few weeks ago.

However, on Thursday somebody told their neighbors that Hendra was actually a woman and her real name was Indah. Shocked neighbors confronted the couple, and when Hendra confirmed that he was actually a woman, they reported the women to police for being lesbians.

According to Metro TV, the couple told police they had not wanted to get married but they had no choice.

Trisnawaty and Indah had been meeting each other for some time and they often spent time together at Trisnawaty’s house until late at night. At the time, locals believed Indah was a man.

Believing that the young couple were engaging in premarital sex, neighbors forced them to marry so they would not “taint” the village.

Indah and Trisnawaty told police that they did not want to lie but they were afraid of the reaction from neighbors if they came out as lesbians.

“I knew she was a woman but what else could we do? We were very afraid,” Trisnawaty told Metro TV.

Police are still investigating the case and the women are being detained at the Labuhan Batu Police station for questioning.

Homosexuality is not illegal in Indonesia, however the couple could be punished for lying on official marriage documents.

Jakarta Globe