Waria

In September 2018, Mathieu Richer spent ten days in Yogyakarta, Indonesia photographing a community of people who identify as “waria”, the third gender of Indonesia.

Warias (“wanita” [woman]+“pria” [man]) make up an estimated 3% of the Indonesian population, which roughly amounts to 7 million people. Warias have a long and complex history with the socio-political body of Indonesia. In the past, warias were well-integrated into Indonesian society and were able to achieve a high social status; many were even appointed to the royal court as advisors or ambassadors. However, with the recent spread of a more severe Islam in parts of Indonesia, the livelihood of warias have been seriously threatened.

Ten years ago, in the city of Yogyakarta, local activists and Ibu Shinta, a prominent waria, created the only Koranic school run by and for warias.  At ‘Pondok Pesantren Waria al-Fatah', Islam was taught regardless of sexual orientation and gender. But al-Fatah was more than just a school: it was a haven for uniting, educating and protecting the community of warias in Java. Working alongside NGOs, al-Fatah provided HIV testing to the local community and to educate warias—often compelled into prostitution—on HIV prevention and safe sex.

In 2016, al-Fatah was forced to close after violent threats from conservative groups. Thanks to the pressure of the local population and the intervention of the queen of Yogyakarta, al-Fatah managed to re-open a couple of months later. Fortunately, Yogyakarta is a distinctively liberal pocket of the country, but in other parts of Indonesia, it would be rare that such an institution could prosper.

Mathieu Richer's photo-essay “Waria” highlights the educational work carried out by Ibu Shinta and the community of Yogyakarta, and takes a more intimate look into the individual lives of warias, whose visibility is at stake. Moved by the personal and political history of warias, ‘Waria’ is part of a larger project that Ficher is working on about the historical and present conditions of warias across Indonesia and Southeast Asia at large.

Ibu Shinta in her room at the ‘Pesantren Waria al-Fatah’ school.

Many warias have been driven out of their families. Many of them find refuge in the community of Yogyakarta.

Nur Ayu has been living at the shelter for 5 years with her partner. Her transition has been a slow and painful journey. She was kicked out by her family in her youth, and worked as a prostitute in several parts of the country before finding refuge at the school.

Nur Ayu’s papers.

Nur Ayu puts on makeup before going to work on the street. In the background, Ibu Shinta and a student read the Koran before the noon prayer.

Nur Ayu no longer works as a prostitute, but still sings and dances in the street for a few rupees.

Warias find difficulty praying in ordinary mosques, being often subject to mockery and discrimination. The school was created so that everyone could express their faith without regard to their gender or sex.

In 2016, the school had to close for 4 months after threats from conservative groups such as the FJI (Front Jihad Islam).

Make-up is a daily ritual for warias. The use of poor-quality botox often leaves marks on their faces.

Some warias do not transform themselves on a daily basis out of fear of being mocked. At school, they feel comfortable expressing their femininity to the fullest.

A waria transformed.

Dessi and Defi are night workers. For many warias, prostitution is a means of survival.

Bunda Yetty is a former prostitute. She is now working on HIV testing and prevention for a local NGO of Yogyakarta. Thanks to its action, no new cases have occurred in the last 5 years.

Yuni Sara smokes a cigarette in the ‘Pondok Pesantren Waria al-Fatah’ school. She is one of the full-time residents of the shelter.

"Warias are beautiful creatures created by Allah." — Ibu Shinta