Kompas Research and Development Survey: Majority of Residents View the Image of Transwomen Negatively

Transgender women are one of the marginalized groups in Indonesia, facing various stigmas and discrimination. Public narratives often portray them as a shame and a deviant group that brings misfortune.

This aligns with a Kompas Research and Development survey showing that the majority of Indonesians (46.8%) perceive transgender women negatively.

Meanwhile, 45% of respondents considered the image of transgender women to be neutral, neither good nor bad. Only 6.6% viewed them positively, while 1.4% were unsure.

Negative perceptions in the survey included transgender women being considered deviant or mentally ill (58.9%), morally corrupting (46.1%), a societal shame (45%), spreaders of HIV/AIDS (41.5%), a threat to society (64%), and harbingers of disaster (70.7%).

However, some respondents also viewed transgender women as confident, independent, and resilient (65.6%), cheerful (60.2%), and possessing strong artistic sensibilities (51.1%).

Kompas Research and Development researcher, Agustina Purwanti, stated that transgender women must coexist with both stigma and acceptance. She emphasized that fostering acceptance is not solely the responsibility of society but also requires effort from transgender women themselves.

"Opening themselves up more honestly, coupled with mutual respect from transgender women, may create space for acceptance among the public," said Agustina, as quoted from *Kompas.id* on Wednesday, July 27, 2022.

This survey was conducted from July 5-7, 2022, interviewing 504 respondents aged 17 and above from 34 provinces. The sample was randomly selected with a 95% confidence level and a margin of error of approximately 4.37%.