No, two grooms did not get married in Indonesia despite viral video
A video went viral after it was falsely claimed two men got married in a town in Java, Indonesia. (TikTok/Getty)
Despite what you might have seen online, two grooms did not have a same-sex marriage ceremony in Indonesia.
Last week, footage of two men at a wedding went viral after social media posts reportedly falsely claimed a same-sex marriage ceremony was taking place there.
In some parts of Indonesia, same-sex sexual activity is still criminalised, while same-sex marriage is not legal anywhere in the country.
According to reports, the clip showed the pair standing next to each other at the wedding ceremony and was viewed tens of thousands of times with viewers believing that it was a same-sex marriage ceremony.
“God forgive me… same-sex marriage,” the text reportedly read in Indonesian atop the since-deleted video.
However, the religious affairs ministry in Wonosobo, Java, where the wedding took place, denied the allegations.
The clip was reportedly taken from an 11 May double heterosexual wedding, where two couples were marrying at the same time. Leaders confirmed that the video showed two men preparing to tie the knot with two sisters, respectively.
“The implementation of the marriage contract is carried out in accordance with statutory regulations…with the presence of a prospective groom and a prospective bride,” wedding officiant Ahmad Soleh said.
“It was done twice because of the siblings situation.”
While private consensual homosexual acts are not yet prohibited in the Southeast Asian nation, same-sex activity is against the law in the province of Aceh and South Sumatra, under Sharia law, according to Human Dignity Trust. The gender expression of trans people is also outlawed, with harsh sentences handed down to anyone convicted.
However, a law was passed in December 2022 that outlaws all sex outside of marriage, which activists have warned will likely result in greater persecution for LGBTQ+ people as same-sex marriage is not legal.
The law comes into effect in 2025 and makes all sex outside marriage punishable by up to a year in prison. This leaves same-sex couples – who do not yet have the right to marry – at risk of prosecution.
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