Muslim Queer and Trans Worldmaking in Indonesia
Organized together with the Gender Studies Department at Utrecht University
+ WCC Yogyakarta Fundraiser with Lestari Bergerak & Nusaqueer Diaspora
18 June 2026, 16:00–19:00 / Casco Art Institute: Working for the Commons, Lange Nieuwstraat 7, Utrecht
Join us for a book presentation of Enduring Otherwise: Muslim Queer and Trans Worldmaking in Indonesia by our long-time collaborator Ferdiansyah Thajib. The event features a dialogue between Ferdi and his fellow KUNCI Study Forum & Collective member, Nuraini Juliastuti, who joins him in discussing the book’s themes and their broader contexts.
Drawing on ethnographic research across multiple sites in Indonesia, Enduring Otherwise examines how Muslim individuals and communities navigate the challenges and possibilities of inhabiting queer and trans religiosity. Many gender and sexual minorities in Indonesia remain practicing Muslims but face violence rooted in societal rejection of their sexual and gender identities. Their faith is often positioned in opposition to their desires and ways of living, leaving many confronted with a perceived choice between two seemingly irreconcilable ways of being. Some distance themselves from religious tenets due to the harms they associate with them, while others immerse themselves in religious practices and spiritual values in efforts to reimagine and transform them.
The event further includes a fundraiser organised by Lestari Bergerak & Nusaqueer Diaspora. The collectives begin with a short presentation on WCC Yogyakarta, a shelter supporting vulnerable and aging trans femmes in Yogyakarta, and Pondok Pesantren Waria Al-Fatah, a community space where trans femmes and other queer people practice their faith. As part of the fundraiser, there is a bring-your-own-fabric screen-printing session. Funds raised during the event are transferred directly to WCC Yogyakarta to support daily operational and living expenses.
