Rethinking the Mobility (and Immobility) of Queer Rights in Southeast Asia: A Provocation / Hendri Yulius

H. Yulius

Abstract: Seventy years since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the UN General Assembly, what we have witnessed is that its claim of universality has been consistently challenged. While all human beings are deemed born automatically free with equal rights, the very definition of human itself in practice is not always neutral. Central to my argument is the ways in which both inclusion and exclusion of LGBT individuals is driven by specific political considerations and contestations between political actors, lurking underneath the banner of "state". Those battles subsequently push and shape the states' actions and responses in either excluding or recognizing LGBT rights, which are increasingly marked by the legalization of same-sex marriage or unions. The other central argument in this essay coalesces around the discourse of "LGBT rights" itself. Not only such discourse demands a solid subject embracing and seeing those identities as a meaningful platform for citizenship rights claiming in public realm, the "LGBT rights" are also about setting up priorities. Too often, same-sex marriage (or gay marriage) has nowadays become the main priority which glossing over other priorities of LGBT people that may not always see same-sex marriage as the ultimate answer and prefer other issues, including social and family acceptance, access to health services, anti-violence, and so on.