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Padang Mayor Mahyeldi Ansharullah stated his full support forAndalas University's policy on rejecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) student candidates for enrolling on the campus.
"I fully support Unand (University of Andalas) rector's gesture for issuing the policy," said the Mayor, Friday.
The mayor believed the policy would be able to suppress the expansion of LGBT in education, especially in universities. LGBT, he said, was a clearly a form of social behavior deviation that contradicted cultural and religious teachings.
In order not to contravene the law and human right, the city government would seek to find the best 'solution', for instance to establish a special school for LGBT community.
Last week, Andalas University made a policy to reject LGBT student candidates enrolling on the campus. The university published a form stating that every college student must not be a lesbian, gay bisexual or transgender. The form has to be filled by each prospective student who wants to participatein the 2017 State University National Selection.
The form uploaded on the official Andalas University website has been deleted butthe policy remains in effect and would not be revoked.
According to Andalas University Rector, Tafdil Husni, prospective students who do not want to fill out and sign the form, should not register at the campus. The campus is still discussing and formulating more details of the regulation.
In addition, an online petition seeks to keep Andalas University from LGBT students has been launchedsince Wednesday. A petitioner named Zory Alfuady stated that LGBT is not in accordance with the teachings of Islam and local customs.
Until today, the petition has received 93 of 100 targeted signatures.
Backlash
Despite the Mayor's support, the policystillsparkedcriticism from several groups, including the Padang Legal Aid Institute (LBH) and the West Sumatra chapter of National Commission for Human Right (Komnas HAM), who call such policy contradicts thehuman rights, particularly the principle of human dignity (for not putting an individual and his/her family in disgrace).
West Sumatra Komnas HAM Chairman Sultanul Arifin, considered the policy was very discriminatory and it potentially led to human right violation.
The policy, according to LBH Padang, clearly harms the principle and value of non-discrimination in education, since according to Article 28, Paragraph 2, that every person has the right to be free from discriminatory act on any basis and is entitled to protection to the act.
(brl/red)
