Sunday, September 6, 2009

People who Stand Out.

Last night, while returning home on Transjogja (the public buses which run till 10pm) from S and FY's place, I saw 4 transvestites. I wasn't sure if they had the whole transformation (so that even their genitals are of a female's, but they had boobs all right), but they were... strange.

Indonesian society is not conservative - in fact, it's probably one of the most liberal in Southeast Asia, after the Philippines. The art fair at Taman Budaya says it all. The art pieces were anti-Christianity, anti-American, but yet they got shown anyway. The government after Suharto's reign is trying to show Indonesians that in order to be an advanced society, many different views would have to be entertained (read it in one of the academic papers I brought over) and allowed some air time. There's also this whole discussion if wearing the headscarf limits or frees a woman. To some, the headscarf is a symbol of the old world which was governed by old traditions of Islam. However, to others, wearing the headscarf is a sign that the person has been enlightened by the ways of Islam and understands more about the religion. In other words, this woman is a well-educated woman who fully understands the meaning of being a Muslim. Many women here go through some inner searching before they don the headscarf, unlike in Malaysia where there is an unspoken rule for Muslim women to wear them(?).

So, even though people thought that the transvestites were an eyesore, nobody said anything since it's a free world. They were talking loudly while the rest of the people in the shelter averted their eyes or turned away from them - because it's rude to stare, you see. One of them had an over-puffed up lip, like a botox operation went wrong. Another of them had gorgeous boobs - it swelled beautifully above her low neckline. Other transvestites passed by the bus stop and stopped to talk to their friends.

Transjogja bus stops are elevated above the ground level so people had to ascend a slope to pay in order to get into a bus stop. Trips are Rp3.000, no matter the number of bus transfers and the time spent on the route. A person can take the bus to anywhere for a whole day without getting out of the bus stop for Rp3.000.

So anyway, in passing, one of those transvestites reached out to try to touch the genitals of this (maybe) 17-year-old male who was standing at the entrance of the bus stop. The boy merely moved out of her reach and said nothing while she laughed and walked away.
I can't imagine that happening in conservative Singapore.

In Indonesia where the Javanese culture teaches that a person should not stand out from the other Javanese, what circumstances have made these girls want to stand out so much?

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