Introduction Voices from the field: findings and analysis

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II. Voices from the field: findings and analysis

A. Introduction

The data gathered in the course of this research are both quantitative and qualitative in nature. The quantitative aspect of the research represents both the endeavour to enrich the data and a means of triangulation. Data from the qualitative research provide a snapshot of the stigma and discrimination in the workplace from the perspective of LGBT people, labour union members, and representatives of APINDO and the Ministry of Manpower. Quantitative data were collected from members of the labour union. The questionnaire captures respondents’ attitudes to LGBT-related issues see tables 1 and 2. The characteristics of the 408 respondents are as set out below. The majority of respondents were male 54 per cent, followed by female 45 per cent, male-to-female transgender 0.5 per cent, female-to-male transgender 0.49 per cent, and other 0.5 per cent. Even though respondents with alternative gender identities are in a minority, that they were willing to tick that box is indicative of the changing nature of LGBT people ’s perceptions about themselves and their willingness to take risks by being more open about their sexual orientation or gender identity. The majority of respondents come from the productive age bracket 20 –49 years, with those aged 30–39 being the most numerous. Even though respondents might have been born and raised elsewhere in Indonesia, the largest percentage of them work in Jakarta 41.42 per cent. It is interesting to see whether their place of work has any bearing on their attitudes towards LGBT: large cities such as Jakarta consist of people from different backgrounds, with diverse ways of looking at the world, and thus such cities have the potential to broaden their inhabitants’ horizons. Qualitative data were gathered through focus group discussions in Yogyakarta, Jakarta, Kupang East Nusa Tenggara and Pontianak West Kalimantan. The majority of participants in the discussion groups in Kupang and Pontianak worked in the informal economy without contracts specifying their job descriptions, wage raises, and so on. Their workplaces include beauty salons, small cafes, and small grocery stores – places where labour relations are regulated by verbal contracts and mutual trust between employers and employees. A few of our informants worked for the Government as teachers or employees in government offices. A number worked for the Komisi Pemberantasan AIDS AIDS Commission. The occupations of our informants in Yogyakarta and in Jakarta were more diverse, ranging from sales people and television and information technology specialists to factory labourers. The difference between the ranges of occupations found, on the one hand, in Kupang and Pontianak, and, on the other, in Yogyakarta and Jakarta, can be attributed to two factors. First, our informants in Yogyakarta and Jakarta are better educated than their counterparts in Kupang and Pontianak. Second, given their more strategic geographical and economic locations, Yogyakarta and Jakarta offer a greater array of occupations to workers in general, including those that are LGBT. 12

B. Demographic profile of respondents of the qualitative survey