Social Marginality and the Struggle for Belonging among LGBT Communities in Contemporary Indonesia

Abstract

LGBT people in Indonesia were often discussed through morality, health, law, or political controversy, but these approaches did not fully explain how marginality was experienced within ordinary social relations. This article examined social marginality through the problem of belonging, focusing on conditions under which recognition became uncertain or depended on silence, conformity, or selective disclosure. This research use integrative literature review with qualitative thematic synthesis. Indonesian studies were prioritized, while comparative literature was used only to clarify mechanisms visible in local evidence. The synthesis identified conditional belonging across public discourse, family relations, community networks, and digital spaces. LGBT people could remain socially visible and connected while being framed as morally suspect, pressured to conceal sexuality or regulate gender presentation, or exposed to surveillance and harassment. Evidence concerning Muslim gay men, lesbians, waria, youth attitudes, media framing, and online discourse showed that marginality did not require complete exclusion. Belonging was better understood as a social relation whose terms were negotiated across settings and whose security depended on unequal conditions of recognition.