Paper short abstract:

Transnational non-heteronormative Indonesian identities are not only the product of gendering and sexuality, but also of a complex politics, which echo the Indonesian context and are produced by transnational mobility and the politics of desires and economic survival in the host countries.

Paper long abstract:

Among Indonesian migrants in the Netherlands and Belgium, the boundary between gay and transgender identities is the subject of uncertainty. These categories are characterized by both simplicity and complexity: simplicity because, at any moment, gay/transgender Indonesians are clear about who they are; complexity because identification is a matter of not only sex and gender, but also a host of other matters, particularly social class, race, and evanescent matters such as body regimes. A middle-class and urban background, a lighter complexion, and features that conform to both Indonesian and European aesthetics of masculinity are likely to categorize an individual as gay (banci), even though the individual may cross-dress. In contrast, a working-class and rural background, a darker complexion, and features that conform to both Indonesian and Western stereotypes of femininity categorize the individual as transgender (banci dandan). But, in contrast to Indonesia, in Belgium and the Netherlands non-heteronormative Indonesian migrants' identifications also respond to dominant society's responses, particularly those of sexual partners. Non-heteronormative Indonesians adapt their self-identification to the gender and sexual desires of European partners, negotiating their gendering accordingly. This gendering also has economic motivations, associated with both seeking upward mobility and meeting the expectations of remittances to relatives back in Indonesia. Transnational non-heteronormative Indonesian identities are therefore not only the product of gendering and sexuality, but also of a complex politics, some aspects of which echo the Indonesian context, while others are produced by transnational mobility and the politics of desires and economic survival in the host countries.