A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE PORTRAYAL OF LESBIANS IN THIRTY SELECTED INDONESIAN AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE SHORT STORIES

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A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE PORTRAYAL OF

LESBIANS IN THIRTY SELECTED INDONESIAN AND

ENGLISH LANGUAGE SHORT STORIES

A THESIS

Presented as a Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

to Obtain the

Magister Humaniora (M. Hum)

Degree

in English Language Studies

TIRA MARIANA

Student Number: 096332018

THE GRADUATE PROGRAM IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE STUDIES SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

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A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE PORTRAYAL OF

LESBIANS IN THIRTY SELECTED INDONESIAN AND

ENGLISH LANGUAGE SHORT STORIES

STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY

This is to certify that all ideas, phrases, sentences, unless otherwise stated, are the ideas, phrases, and sentences of the thesis writer. The writer understands the full consequences including degree cancellation if she took somebody else’s ideas, phrases, or sentences without proper references.

Yogyakarta, January 23, 2014

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LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI

KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS

Yang bertanda tangan dibawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma:

Nama : Tira Mariana

Nomor Mahasiswa : 096332018

Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul:

A Comparative Study on the Portrayal of Lesbians in Thirty Selected

Indonesian and English Language Short Stories

beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada).

Dengan demikian saya memberikan hak kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma untuk menyimpan, mengalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta izin dari saya maupun memberikan royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.

Demikian pernyataan ini saya buat dengan sebenarnya.

Dibuat di Yogyakarta,

Pada Tanggal: 23 Januari 2014 Yang menyatakan,

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DEDICATION

It is true that together somebody else success there are other hands hold you up. It is true that we all need our friends And it is completely true without love we are hopeless Thus, here I would like to dedicate my deepest appreciation:

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank a number of people who have helped me during my study. First of all, to my lecturers Dr. Mukarto, M.S, Prof. Dr. Bakdi Soemanto, Prof. Dr. Soepomo.P, Dr. Novita Dewi, M.S., M.A. (Hons), Dr. Alb. Budi Susanto, S.J. and Pasca Sarjana Staff especially, Bu Lely and Pak Mul, thank you so much for your help.

I am grateful first and foremost to my supervisor, Dr. Katrin Bandel, and Miss Alathea Rael Gore, my proof reader a Bilingual Teacher from Austin, Texas for their constant support, correction, motivation, enthusiasm, and encouragement during the long process of writing this thesis. They do not only read the entire work a number of times but also provide crucial critical ideas and support for this writing.

A Moslem brother, Muhammad Taha Billah (Lesotho), Eva Busch and Oliver Kontny (German), Bazil Bumahiga (Tanzania) and my examiners Dra. Sri Mulyani, M.A., Ph.D and Mutiara Andalas, S.J, B.Th., S.T.D. deserve special thanks for critical discussion and suggestion to enrich this writing, as well as Dr. G. Budi Subanar, S.J (Religion and Culture Program of Sanata Dharma University) for his explanations about lesbianism in Bible.

My special thanks go to my colleagues and friends who have helped and supported me intellectually and emotionally during my study and as I wrote this thesis: Mba’ Ana (Yuliana Tri Nirmayanti, Malang) and Mba’ Ema (UGM) for the ideas and discussion, encouragement, sources, books and the very helpful lesbians and queer movies. Mba’ Lelly Sepniwati (Palangkaraya) for support and help, Kak Novianti Taweru (Papua) for a very critical discussion in the last minutes of the thesis accomplishment, Kak Uda (Mudalifa Mahmud, Gorontalo) for books and support, Sr. Marylin and Sr. Suzan Ningfa for praying, Mas Yayan (Lombok) and East Timor sister Nia Ximenes for being there when I was sick. My deepest Gratitude to Uni (Noor Chairani, Yogyakarta) and her parents Bapak Drs. Psi. H. Hasyim Abdullah, MSi and Ibu Hj. Siti Nur Isnaini, BAA, for all their generosity for giving me a very comfortable and safe dwelling stay during the late 11 months in their home. Uni, thank you so much for taking me into your family. I can feel the real spirit of having complete family which I have never had before entering your home. And Bapak Sadino and Ibu Munti (Yogyakarta) family for their kindness in providing help, care and support.

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ABSTRACT

Tira Mariana. 2014.A Comparative Study on the Portrayal of Lesbians in Thirty Selected Indonesian and English Language Short Stories.Yogyakarta: English Language Studies, Graduate Program. Sanata Dharma University.

The existence of lesbians and their rights in many countries remains a controversial issue. Lesbians are labeled by the society as being abnormal, sinners, mentally ill, etc. The discrimination, injustice and even violence toward lesbians keep happening. As a response to these facts, literature is used as part of lesbians’ struggle as a media to communicate, promote and campaign to this issue. The purpose of this study is, first to reveal the portrayal of lesbians in Indonesian and English language stories, starting from the way they perceive their feelings, sexual desire or orientation and relationship up to the background in becoming a lesbian. The second purpose is to find out the conflicts and the discriminations experienced by the lesbians in their life. There are 30 selected Indonesian and English short stories used in this study, taken from the lesbian websites and other published short stories collections.

This study uses Comparative Literature Approach in analyzing the similarity and the diversity of the way lesbians are portrayed. Lesbian Criticism and Queer Theory are applied to examine the issue of lesbian and lesbianism as an identity, as well as to reveal the complexity and the fluidity of sexuality represented through the lesbian characters, their conflicts and discriminations experienced in life.

The first finding of this study shows several similarities and differences. The differences are in Indonesian stories some lesbians perceive their feelings, sexual desire and relationship as predestination and others perceive it as a forbidden love, a mistake and a sin. While in English stories, lesbians perceive it as being different. The similarities are that they perceive it as something natural, normal, and unchangeable and not a mistake.

The second finding reveals that long term interactions, spontaneous or accidental feelings, environmental factors and early exposure to homosexuality, unhappy heterosexual married life, exploration and experiencing new sexual practice and personal choice are the reasons why women become lesbians.

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ABSTRAK

Tira Mariana. 2014. Studi Banding Tentang Potret Lesbian dalam Tiga Puluh Cerpen Berbahasa Indonesia dan Inggris. Yogyakarta: Kajian Bahasa Inggris, Program Pasca-Sarjana Universitas Sanata Dharma

Keberadaan lesbian dan hak-hak mereka merupakan isu yang kontroversial di banyak negara. Lesbian dicap oleh masyarakat sebagai orang yang abnormal, pendosa, sakit, dll. Diskriminasi, ketidakadilan dan bahkan kekerasan terus dilakukan terhadap lesbian. Sebagai respon pada fakta-fakta ini, sastra digunakan sebagai bagian dari perjuangan lesbian untuk mengkomunikasikan, mempromosikan dan mengkampanyekan isu tersebut.

Tujuan pertama penelitian ini adalah untuk mengungkapkan potret lesbian dalam cerpen-cerpen berbahasa Indonesia dan Inggris. Mulai dari cara mereka memandang perasaan, hasrat atau orientasi seksual, dan hubungan yang mereka bangun sampai latar belakang yang menyebabkan mereka bisa menjadi lesbian. Tujuan yang kedua adalah untuk menemukan konflik-konflik dan diskriminasi yang dialami lesbian dalam kehidupan mereka. Ada 30 cerpen berbahasa Indonesia dan Inggris yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini. Cerpen-cerpen tersebut diambil dari website lesbian dan kumpulan-kumpulan cerpen yang sudah diterbitkan.

Penelitian ini menggunakan Pendekatan Sastra Bandingan dalam menganalisis persamaan dan perbedaan tentang cara lesbian dipotret dalam cerpen-cerpen tersebut. Kritik Lesbian dan Teori Queer digunakan untuk melihat isu lesbian dan lesbianisme sebagai sebuah identitas, juga untuk mengungkapkan kekompleksitasan dan kecairan sexualitas yang direpresentasikan lewat tokoh-tokoh lesbian, konflik-konflik dan diskriminasi yang mereka alami dalam kehidupan.

Hasil temuan pertama dalam penelitian ini menunjukkan beberapa persamaan dan perbedaan. Perbedaannya yaitu dalam cerpen berbahasa Indonesia beberapa lesbian mamandang perasaan, hasrat sexual and hubungan sesama jenis mereka sebagai sebuah takdir sementara lesbian yang lainnya memandang itu sebagai cinta terlarang, kesalahan dan dosa. Sedangkan dalam cerpen berbahasa Inggris, lesbian memandangnya sebagai sesuatu yang membuat mereka berbeda. Persamaannya adalah mereka sama-sama memandang perasaan dan orientasi sexual sebagai hal yang alami, normal, tidak dapat berubah dan bukanlah sebuah kesalahan.

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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION: PERSONAL RESTLESSNESS

VS LESBIANS’ STORIES

A. Background of the Study

“Hey, what are you going to research for your thesis?”

“I am doing research on lesbian in Indonesian and Western Literature.”

“Why do you bother conducting research on lesbian literature?Who is actually the lesbian? The object of research or you yourself, as the researcher?”

I was shocked when someone asked me those questions. I was so surprised at listening and responding to these comments. Should I also be considered as lesbian because of my interest in studying lesbian literature? I opened this paragraph by delivering a personal story of what happened to me when someone asked me about the topic of my thesis. He automatically thought that I was a lesbian, because I chose lesbian literature for my thesis topic. Why is it that when someone does not know all the facts, they easily make unwise judgment without confirming the information first? This example I personally experienced shows that if we do not understand we will be mistaken. Thus, we should seek information, try to understand others to avoid misunderstanding among each others and try to understand so that others will not mistake us too.

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community. We were in a large comfortable building in one of universities in Yogyakarta. It was around 8 pm. When we were ready to watch the film scheduled by the committee, one of the committee members stood up be fore us. She delivered a short speech to remind the audiences that this festival could be under attack due to its content. Thus, she pointed out the location of the emergency exits in case any sign of danger were to appear. The committee had already been informed that the militant group; Islamic Defenders Front (FPI =

Front Pembela Islam), the Islamic fundamentalist group in Indonesia would come to stop this program. And there could be a possibility they could use violence and attack any of us who were at that place at that time. How ironic it is to live around people and a majority society who are quick to label and judge somebody else, without truly knowing what the essential issues are. At that time, I was questioning myself. What if that night I had gotten injured or perhaps even died only because of watching a QLGBT movie for the sake of my research? I know that the FPI is notorious for its violence and anarchies actions.

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feel my fear from that night. The last information I got in that night was that after all those in the audiences left the university, the committee members had to hide themselves in a hotel. The FPI’s attack was failed because they could not find either the participants or the committees of this festival.

I grew up in the environment which people consider and label themselves as “normal.” During my 22 years, I personally have had no homosexual experience. However, since I have been here in Yogyakarta and far away from my family and my “normal” life environment in Jambi, I have met homosexual people, interacted with them and even made friends with them. I try to learn about them so that I can understand them and their way of life. Many of them have had a more difficult life than most heterosexuals. Moreover, I propose it is not sufficient information to only know lesbian and the issue of lesbianism only from their daily life. I choose to learn them from other mediums, thus from literary perspective, as well. Literature gives a space for people to voice out their true options and ideas when they do not feel they can voice it due to societal norms in their daily lives. Through literature we can speak unspoken things without any fear.

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etc? Why are they not accepted in their society or even among their own family? Why should lesbians get married with men if they love women emotionally and sexually? How can a married woman with children still be able to have sexual experiences with another woman? Why is love and sexual desire to the same sex considered to be evil and sinful? Is it wrong and a mistake if a woman loves another woman? Then, if it is so, should they be punished? Who should punish them? God? Society? The State? Nature? Or who? So, the only idea that came into my mind then was: “Wow! Human sexuality is not as simple as I thought. It is really complex”.

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For example, in Indonesia there is no law that exists to protect Indonesia citizens from discrimination or harassment on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity. LGBT people often suffer cruelty by the hands of the police but it is hard to document due to victims refusing to give statements because of their sexuality. Many LGBT people are often arrested, detained or charged due to their sexual orientation and sometimes without clear reasons. In addition gays in jails are sexually abused due to their sexual orientation, and often do not report it due to being traumatized and fear of being sent back to prison to suffer further abuse.1In America, gay and lesbian still face many kinds of discrimination until today, for example in military, in obtaining jobs and housing, in using public facilities (hotels and taverns), in areas of family law (right to marry, retain custody of their children, adopt children, or provide foster care), as victims of police harassment and violent hate crimes, and in AIDS-related discrimination.2

Lesbians are under attack through violent crimes, physical and psychological abuse, sexual violence. These can occur at homes, schools, workplaces, in places of worship or in the neighborhood. We can see from the media that this is a global issue. Sexual orientation or gender identity that is outside of mainstream society leads to the discrimination of these individuals in the form of bias, abuse, violence, imprisonment, torture, or even execution. It is shocking to know that people are being killed because of their sexual orientation or gender expression.

1

Laurent Erick, "Sexuality and Human Rights", Journal of Homosexuality 40. 3&4 (2001): 163– 225.

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In Indonesia, lesbianism seems to become public. At first, lesbians tried as much as possible to hide their true identity, but now they come together in a forum or organizations so that everyone is able to know about their existence. On April 19, 1981 a lesbian couple, Jessie (25) and Bonnie (22) ‘came out of the closet’ by holding their marriage in a Pub located in Blok M district, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta and their ceremony was attended by 120 guests.3Today there are more than 30 LGBT organizations that spread over 21 big cities in Indonesia, such as Jakarta, Manado, Makasar, Balik Papan, Pekan Baru, Lampung, Medan, Banda Aceh, etc.

Therefore, many activists, not only homosexuals but also heterosexual activists are still attempting to get equal rights for homosexuals. Moreover, lesbians face double oppression from society; first because they are women and second because of their sexual orientation. A variety of efforts is focusing on lesbian and human rights in order to obtain the right to get married and protected by law as heterosexual people do. The efforts come in the form of campaigns, demonstrations, discussions and seminars, festivals. Also lesbian groups are widespread on facebook and other internet sites, such as SepociKopi and

ReadTheseLips. These lesbian websites have become one of the objects of

research for this study.

However, many activists find their struggle has not been successful enough because there is no immediate impact on lesbians and their rights. Thus a new revolution of promoting this struggle is done through published literature.

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Literature is being used as medium to express this struggle. All these ways are not done simply to show their rebellion to societal norms but because the lesbians desire to be accepted and treated equally. They dream of a society where they are protected from any kind of violence and discrimination against them due to their sexual orientation.

In the frame of literature, as commonly literary piece being functioned, many lesbian authors or even non-lesbian authors also use literature as medium to express their experiences about lesbianism and its world. These authors use literary work to bring forth the issue of homosexual. There are many literary works written to express their feelings mostly focused on the emotion of sadness, anger, hope and dream. Their literature also demonstrates the problems and conflicts they experienced in their social environment. Their writing is in various forms such as poetry, short story, and complete novels. Some of their central themes are related to identity, feminism, politics, culture, and abuse.

Their bigger dream of these authors is to bring this ‘marginalzied world’ and its issues to the surface and view of main stream society. Their purposes are to end the injustices and discrimination through the writing of literary works. Their mission is to fight the rights of homosexuals in order that they may be treated equally and considered "normal", both socially and politically. As stated by Manaf4 that the option of being "silence", which is expected to provide security and comfort for lesbian women turn out to provide no protection. It can be seen from the attitudes and discriminatory actions against lesbians, such as

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beatings, forced to marry the opposite sex, even to the extreme of raping which all in the pretext of bringing their sexual orientation back to "normal". In contrast, World Health Organization has stated that being a homosexual (gay and lesbian) is a normal and natural way of sexual expression.5

Then Manaf continued to say that to the young Indonesian lesbians these bitter experiences and injustices are the reasons why they prefer to ‘stay in the closet’. Thus, voicing the sexual rights of lesbian should be equal with the rest of society so that they can have hope for a better life will not be stopped. Heroic activists usually do demonstrations through peaceful protesting. Some come to the House of Representatives to have dialogue with the government to gain support politically. Unlike the effort done by these activists, Institut Pelangi Perempuan

(Indonesian Youth Lesbian Centre), SepociKopi and ReadTheseLips use another strategy. It is by voicing those issues through the publishing of creative writings in the forms of poetry and short fictions written by young and adult lesbians.

As mentioned earlier, the stories published in SepociKopi and

ReadTheseLipsas well asInstitut Pelangi Perempuan (Indonesian Youth Lesbian

Centre) are the object of this study. SepociKopi is an Indonesian independent online lesbian magazine. It was founded by two women who are concerned with the movement of lesbians, Alex and Laskmi. In January 2007, they based a web blog www.sepocikopi.blogspot.com. Early writings were merely personal opinions written in their spare time. But it developed until the ideas that were spawned critical and revolutionary to the Indonesian lesbian movement. These

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two women and their blog are now very influential. Their writings are followed by other lesbian writers who continually broaden the breadth of topics ranging from culture, lifestyle, and humanities. Their vision and mission is to inspire, reach out, educate, move the hearts of the general public to possitive feelings especially towards lesbians in order to improve their quality of life. They also have the desire to create a broad and boundless virtual world lesbian community; in order to inform like minded people of events, exchange of professional and acedemic knowledge. SepociKopi wants to kindle more interest and education through reading and writing trends, in the quality of the fields of information presented in this lesbian magazine. MeanwhileInstitut Pelangi Perempuan(Indonesian Youth Lesbian Centre) collected the young lesbians’ writings and published it on 17 Mei 2008 in IDAHO celebration day (International Day Againts Homophobia). These collections of poems and short stories were published to show the Indonesian young lesbians’ struggle to fight against homophobia and all discriminative actions done toward lesbians in Indonesia.

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hard pressed to find affirming representations of their sexuality and their lifestyles. Read These Lips is part of a growing group of queer publishers and supporters who provide safe spaces for lesbians through literature.

The presence of these writings as explained by Manaf is expected to be a media campaign. And at the same time to enrich Indonesian literature on lesbian issues which are still very few in number. These published works function not only as medium for them to deliver their daily life experience which usually create problems either within themselves, their family and society, but also to gain sympathy from the readers. It is also expected to be a better form of communication with their family: father, mother, brother, sister, Indonesian society and states; “Last but not least… our silence is not protecting us, and then we choose to speak up.”6

Lesbian literature became a new issue in the 1990s. Popular lesbian-themed literature itself has appeared in Indonesia 25 years ago. Since that era there have been efforts by Indonesian authors to introduce the lesbian through literature. The effort of those Indonesian writers in introducing and voicing this sensitive world seems to be successful, if it is viewed from the response of Indonesian society. For example, the production of some lesbian films which are adopted from Indonesian novels which lesbians and their life become the themed centered. Also a lesbian main character won an award Adikarya IKAPI and the Jakarta Arts Council. The third champion Jakarta Arts Council in 2003, “Tabula Rasa”, set a lesbian character as one of the main characters. In 2005, the novel of lesbian’s

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love story as the main element, “Jangan Beri Aku Narkoba (Detik Terakhir)” ((Don’t Give Me Drugs (Last Seconds)) by Alberthiene Endah, was chosen by IKAPI Adikarya as the best teenage book.7Then the response to lesbian literature can also be said to have 'awakened' the world of Indonesian cinema through the movie entitled “Detik Terakhir” was also created based on the novel “Jangan Beri Aku Narkoba (Detik Terakhir)”.

In Indonesian literary world, there are some works in which lesbians and the issues of lesbians face appear in the form of short stories, for example a story written by Seno Gumira Ajidarma which was published in 1997,Dua Perempuan

Dengan Hp-nya, and novels Kembang Kertas Ijinkan Aku Menjadi Lesbian

(2007)” by Eni Martini, Tabula Rasa (2003), Jangan Beri Aku Narkoba (2004),

Garis Tepi Seorang Lesbian by HerlienaTiesn (2002), Suara Perih Perempuan

Lesbian dan Kawin Buleby Putri Kartini (2003), Gerhana Kembar by Clara Ng

(2007),Pelangi Perempuan Kumpulan Cerpen and Puisi Lesbian Muda Indonesia

by Institut Pelangi Perempuan (2008) and among others.

Short stories dealing with lesbian theme are interesting to be analyzed due to the fact that lesbians and gay have become controversial issues in many countries. Especially after knowing the real conditions of lesbians, it is interesting to do research on how lesbians are portrayed in the literary works. It is important to see what issues are pursued, how they struggle, how the lesbian are portrayed

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through literature, how they are focalized, etc. Homosexual, especially lesbian literary pieces, have different and unique features compare to other literary works. Lesbian literature is different because it usually shows the sexual orientation, injustice and discrimination issues they get from their environment. Besides, in English language short stories the authors openly reveal their identity even give their photo. It is different in Indonesian stories where some of the authors usually hide their true identity, by using pseudo name with no picture.

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I’m not a lesbian!”8The situation experienced by this girl also happened to me as I have narrated at the very beginning of this chapter. Then, Tyson continues to explain that clearly in her college classrooms today, homosexuality is still considered as an uncomfortable topic of discussion. And there are some literature professors who simply avoid addressing lesbian and gay issues in college by not specifically devoting a study on lesbian and gay writers. Moreover, at many colleges, courses on gay and lesbian writers can be offered as “special topics”, but they do not always occur as regular courses offering for English department student.9 Homosexual writing is also part of literary world and it is a reflection of society and cultural product, yet it is rarely discussed and therefore often neglected. Thus, the absence of some literary classes on the subject of homosexual or lesbian writers or themes reflects that this kind of literary piece directly or indirectly has been ignored by the practitioners of literature.

Based on the reasons mentioned above, the reality of lesbians in the real world and also their appearance in literature, I decided to examine the portraits of lesbian in literary works. The idea of conducting this comparative study came after several readings on lesbian literary works. Therefore, using the Indonesian and English language short stories as the object of study was meant to find the portrayal of lesbians not only in Indonesia but also in the Western countries which are presented in the English language short stories. I analyze Indonesian lesbian short stories taken from Institut Pelangi Perempuan and SepociKopi, while the

8

Lois Tyson, Critical Theory Today, (New York: Routledge. Taylor&Francis Group: 2006), p.317.

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English ones are taken formReadTheseLips. I found even though these literary works are produced in different countries they have the same spirit, but at the same time, they also have a variety of distinct characteristics. Therefore, it is interesting to study the portrayal of lesbian through literary works since they represent the lesbian world. The issues varies, not only limited in sexual orientation and identity issues but also the issues dealing with the way lesbians view her feeling, the way they conduct their relationship and life, background of being a lesbian, problems and discrimination.

B. Scope of Study

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C. Research Questions

There are two formulated research questions related to this research to be discussed:

1. How are lesbians portrayed in Indonesian and English language short stories?

2. What kinds of conflicts and discriminations are faced by lesbians as shown in those Indonesian and English language short stories?

D. Significance of the Study

Since this research deals with homosexual piece of writings, especially describing lesbian relationships, this research can enrich and enlarge the knowledge of other genres of literature about homosexual literature to the readers. The study examines lesbians’ personal experience with their family, partner, society, culture and the state. The readers can catch and understand the portrait of lesbians, through the lesbian characters, their relationships and life which are represented in the literary work.

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minimize negative stigma and misunderstanding toward lesbians, especially before judgment occurs. Misjudgment is normally done by people to this minor group of people. Thus, I hope the reader would come to the understanding that everybody is equal; that everyone would like to be appreciated and accepted the way they are. Thus, the marginalization among human being due to their sexual orientation can be avoided, and the harmony of life is created. Being minority does not constantly mean “different”, “abnormal”, “evil”, and “social illness” because they are different to the majority.

This study may also encourage other researchers and practitioners of literature to be more aware of the variety of literary works to create a broader view of research. Instead of doing research on heterosexual authored works only, more research on homosexual author’s writing or text is expected to encourage the other literary students to find more research topics develop perspective and theory of literature.

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E. Research Method

This research is qualitative. It used qualitative method because the data were delivered and explained descriptively. As this study was a comparative study, there were some steps of research procedures used in this research.

Firstly, I did the data collection through library research. Short stories were chosen to be the material objects. But I applied close reading on several short stories and read critically the Indonesian and English language short stories, in order to get a better understanding on the portrayal of lesbians, to grasp the tone and the issues in the stories. Finally, I chose to study 30 short stories to be the material objects in this study. I collected all data by reading, marking and making notes on words, sentences, paragraphs, dialogues, and important statements of the characters and in the narratives.

Secondly, I analyzed the data by identifying, classifying, describing, interpreting and explaining the data. Then, I compared the data in these short stories to find similarities and differences among them. Applying the theories chosen, I cross-checked the information obtained from the fiction with other sources, such as sociology, culture, and history texts, encyclopedias, journals, etc. The last was evaluation and contextualization. This last step was done to the study results entirety.

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The Indonesian lesbian short stories were taken from “Pelangi Perempuan Kumpulan Cerpen and Puisi Lesbian Muda Indonesia” published by Institut Pelangi Perempuan (2008). In this book all the authors are lesbians. Other Indonesian lesbian short stories were taken from the collection of selected short stories published in Lesbian Weblog SepociKopi, www.sepocikopi.com,written by heterosexual and homosexual authors. The Indonesian short stories were “Bilik Religius” (Lez Moslem), “Bunga Sakura di Hati Nia” (Sakura), “Gak Penting Banget gitu loch” (Little Dyke), “Ketika Langit Senja” (Alvi. AH), “Menggapai Langit Ke-7” (Estha Vadose), “Putus” (NV), “Potongan-Potongan Di Kartu Pos” (Agus Noor), “Tahi Lalat Di Punggung Istri Ku” (Ratih Kumala), “Hari Ini, Esok dan Kemarin” (Maggie Tiojakin), “Un Soir du Paris” (Stefany Irawan), “Sebilah Pisau” (Cok Sawitri), “Saga” (Shantined), “Lelaki Yang Menetes Di Tubuhku” (Ucu Agustin), “Lesbi” (Tommy F. Awuy), “Rahasia Bulan” (Clara Ng) and “Lari” (Nuage Kusuma). The English translation versions of the Indonesian language short story quotations are translated by the writer herself while presenting the original.

The English language short stories were taken from the collection of selected lesbian short fiction entitled “ReadTheseLips”, published at

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“Where There’s Smoke” (J.E Knowles), “True Love” (Georgia Beers), Vol. IV (2010): “Sing If You’re Glad” (Rachel Green) and “A Day in Vermont” (R. G. Emanuelle). Over all, there were 30 short stories that become the object of research in this study. In quoting the stories in the analysis chapter, the writer used abbreviation listed in a table below to refer to the title of the stories and pagination (page number) only.

Table: List of Short Stories

NO INDONESIAN LANGUAGE SHORT STORIES YEAR

TITLE AUTHOR

1 “Bilik Religius” (BR) ”Religious Chamber”

Lez Moslem

2008 2 “Bunga Sakura Dihati Nia” (BSDN)

”Sakurain Nia’s Heart”

Sakura

3 “Gak Penting Banget Gitu Loch” (GPBGL) 7 “Hari ini, Esok dan Kemarin” (HIEK)

“Today, Tomorrow and Yesterday”

Maggie Tiojakin 2011

8 “Lelaki Yang Menetas Ditubuh Ku” (LYMDK)

"The Man Who Hatched in My Body"

Ucu Agustins 12 “Tahi Lalat Di Punggung Istri Ku”

(TLDPIK)

“The Mole in My Wife’s Back”

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I chose all these selected stories to be the main data, because each story depicted and represented the lesbian in different perspectives and views.

"Two Women and Their Cell Phones" 14 “Un Soir Du Paris” (USDP)

“An Evening in Paris”

NO ENGLISH LANGUAGE SHORT STORIES YEAR

TITLE AUTHOR

1 “The Blush” (TB) Renee Strider

(Canadian)

Volume I 2007 2 “The Women’s Pool” (TWP) Beatriz Copello

(Sydney, Australia)

3 “Getting Home” (GH) JL Nicky

4 “The Eye of March” (TEOM) K. Niken (Pennsylvania)

5 “Heart Break” (HB) Shady Lady

(Southern)

6 “Memory Puzzle” (MP) Anne Azel

(England) 7 “Driving Philosophies” (DP) Anne Azel (England) 8 “To Dance With No Music”

(TDWNM) 10 “Where There’s Smoke” (WTS) J.E Knowles

(American, Upper East

Tennessee) Volume III 2009

11 “True Love” (TL) Georgia Beers

(Canadian, living in New York)

12 “Sing If You’re Glad” (SIYG) Rachel Green (England)

Volume IV 2010 13 “A Day In Vermont” (ADIV) R. G. Emanuelle

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Moreover, different authors were a combination of homosexual and heterosexual authors as to help me find more varieties of how lesbians were portrayed from each view point. The stories chosen were all published in the 2000s in order to obtain relatively current issues of lesbianism. Meanwhile, the secondary data used to support this research were found in essays or articles, journals, books, cyber data, and the previous research results.

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CHAPTER II

THEORETICAL REVIEW

A. Review on Related Theories

1. Lesbian andHerstory

Lesbian [฀lɛzbɪən] is a girl or a woman who is sexually and/or

romantically attracted to the same sex, namely to other girls or women. A lesbian is sometimes called as a gay woman, or a homosexual woman, but the word lesbian is usually preferred. “Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an adjective, to describe the characteristics of an object or activity related to female same-sex desire”.10

Lesbianism is defined by Humm as the condition of emotional and sexual relationships between women or between self-identified lesbians.11 Faderman in

Surpassing the Love of Men use this lesbianism term to describe women writers

and thinkers throughout Western history who had feelings of love for, emotional attachment to, or sexual attraction to, other women.12 Lesbianism is similar to

sapphism or female homosexuality, the quality or state of intense emotional and

10

Mayahuskee, “Label Me Lesbian: A Guide to Types of Lesbians”. A lesbian Journal (February 2010)< http://mayahuskee.deviantart.com/journal/Label-Me-Lesbian-A-Guide-to-Types-of-Lesbians-214218387>

11

Maggie Humm, The Dictionary of Feminist Theory, (Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1990), p. 117.

12

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usually erotic attraction of a woman to another woman. First used in the late 16th century, the word "lesbian" referred to the Greek island of Lesbos.

However, the more common usage of lesbianism describes a female homosexual which was coined by a lesbian poet Sappho (c. 610 –c. 580 BC) in the late 19th century who commonly wrote homo-erotic poetry. Thus, lesbian is recognized as a romantic feeling between women. In other words, it can be defined as a sexual relationship of a woman with another woman, either in long-term relationships or simply in short-long-term ones. The issues concerning the lesbians in Europe and North America happened at the turn of the 21st century in terms of legal recognition for same-sex unions, child-rearing rights, women's health-care, taxes, inheritance, and the sharing of medical benefits with a partner.13Brooten uses the “lesbian” term to refer to “a woman who behave like a man (i.e., usurps a male culturall role) and is oriented towards female companions for sex”.14 She explains that this definition accords with the Roman-period cultural conceptualizations of female homoeroticism.

2. Lesbian Criticism

Humm defines lesbian feminism as “a belief that women-identified women, committed together for political, sexual and economic support, provides an alternative model to male/female relations which lesbians see as oppressive”.15 According to Charlotte Bunch, Ti-Grace Atkinson, and Andrienne Rich, lesbian feminism engages both a sexual preference and a political choice because it

13

Maggie Humm, The Dictionary of Feminist Theory, p. 117. 14

Bernadette J. Brooten, Love Between Women: Early Christian Responses to Female Homoeroticism, (Chicago&London: The University of Chicago Press, 1996), p. 17.

15

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rejects male definitions of women’s lives. Both the institution and the ideology of heterosexuality are attacked by Lesbian feminism because of considered as being centre of patriarchy. Thus, lesbian feminism is a movement of female or a variety of feminist belief and practice which emphasize on sexual and or political goal. It is a cultural movement and critical perspective that questions the position of women and lesbians in society in the 1970s up to early 1980s.

There is historical background why lesbian feminist rising. One of them was influenced by the dissatisfaction of some feminists within the feminist movement itself. Feminist movement is considered unsuccessful to answer the whole range of women problems, because it neglected the sexual oppression of women or lesbian. Around 1970s, a variety of groups within the feminist movement initiated to convey their dissatisfaction with a collective feminism that they increasingly saw as shaped by the interests of the dominant group within the movement: white, middle-class, collage-educated, and heterosexual women16. Consequently, the groups that did not or could not identify with this mainstream progressively separate itself from the conventional feminism to formulate their own feminism. The examples of some independent groups of feminist are black feminists, Chicana feminists and lesbian feminist. As maintained by lesbian feminists, the mainstream feminists questioned the traditional views of gender, although they are failed to question the traditional views of the same-sex relation. Thus, lesbian feminism turns away from the conventional feminism to pursue its own separate trail.

16

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Lesbian criticism and feminist criticism initiated efforts to fight patriarchal oppression. There are differences among the two types of criticism, i.e. feminist and lesbian criticisms. The initial criticism gives major concern on “sexism” in patriarchal domain, whereas lesbian criticism deals with both sexism and heterosexism. Therefore, lesbian critics address the issues of psychological, social, economic and political oppressions encouraged by patriarchy and heterosexisms.17

According to the history, since the mid-1980s, lesbians have contested the marginalization fostered by heterosexual feminist; while color and working class lesbians have refused to be marginalized by white middle-class lesbians. Hence, Tyson emphasizes that “This criticism therefore has remained one of the richest and exciting issues of research and political activity”.18 One of the highly interesting questions is the definition of lesbian itself and how someone can be identified as a lesbian.

In answering the above mentioned question, there are a number of critical opinions from different literary scholars. Similar to this question is “can a lesbian be defined as a woman who has sex with another woman?” If this question is answered based on heterosexualism, this would mean that virgins who thought of themselves as heterosexual would have no right to call themselves heterosexuals unless and until they had genital sex with man.19 Therefore, it brings us to the conclusion that one’s sexuality must be defined in terms of one’s sexual desire and sexual activity.

17

Lois Tyson, Critical Theory Today, p. 323. 18

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According to Tyson, a more appropriate definition of a lesbian is “a woman whose sexual desire is directed toward women”.20 According to her opinion this definition has an advantage in identifying a heterosexual married woman as a lesbian. Because of the fact that there are some married women who were romantically and sexually attracted to women rather than to men even though they may have loved and respected their husbands,. For example, Virginia Wolf who had affair with Vita Sackville-West when she was still legally married with her husband.21

Another focus of lesbian criticism is “romantic friendship” in 19th century in Britain and America. In this kind of relationship there is passionate attachment and tenderest love expressions, but there is no evidence of sexual activity or desire. Therefore, it is not reasonable to argue that expressions of passion such as “I love you my darling, more than I can express, more than I am conscious of myself”, are indicating sexual desire, or a kind of sexual activity. Tyson explains that at this period of time is known for its overblown sentimentally and excesses of verbal expression, and effusions of physical affection between women. All of those things were accepted, even encouraged, by patriarchy as charming displays of women’s “overemotional nature”.22 Therefore, from female romantic friendships perspective in this 19thcentury, it is treated as an appropriate subject for lesbian analysis, whether or not they involved sexual desire or activity.

Tyson states that defining sexual activity or sexual desire today has a risk of ignoring an important dimension of women’s life. That may be well understood

20

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by lesbians. She indicates that in order to do away with this ignorance and to promote solidarity among all women, some lesbian theorists have suggested that lesbian identity is not limited to the sexual domain. In contrast, lesbian identity consists of directing one’s attention and emotional energy to other women and having other women as one’s primary source of emotional and psychological support.23Andrienne Rich calls this a “lesbian continuum”. She says: “it includes a range - through each woman’s life and throughout history - of woman-identified experience, not simply the fact that a woman has had or consciously desired genital sexual experienced with another woman”.24 Women-identified experience can be emotional bonding through shared work or play, the giving and receiving of psychological support, and the shared experience of joy in life. Then, Berry also explores that this lesbian continuum “designates a wide variety of female behavior, running, for instance, from informal mutual help networks set up women within particular professions or institutions, through supportive female friendships and finally, to sexual relationships.”25 Meanwhile Zimmerman emphasizes that it is as interconnections among the various ways in which women bond together.26

Furthermore, some lesbian theorists argue that by denying men access to their bodies, lesbians deny patriarchy and heterosexuality as its main component. This means lesbianism could be a tool, a tool that is used to end patriarchy and heterosexuality. Such kinds of lesbians are sometimes called separatists since they

23

Peter Barry, Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory, (Manchester&New York: Manchester University Press, 1995), p. 142.

26

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try by all means to disassociate themselves from all men (esp. male domination), including gay men, and from heterosexual women or even from the lesbians who do not share their view.27That is the reason why from the separatism perspective lesbianism is not merely an issue of personal sexuality. It also has a political mission. However, separatism is not only a way of fighting patriarchy and heterosexuality. It also means to save other purposes in the lives of women, to provide protection and security for women. For example, it serves as the provision of shelters for beaten (physical abuse) women, divorce, women studies programs, legalization of abortion and many other issues facing women.28

Another more critical question is in what way a literary work can be acknowledged as a lesbian text. Responding to this problem, Tyson remarks the complexity in indicating whether a particular writer is a lesbian or not. Hence, we cannot depend on the author’s sexual orientation to categorize a text as a lesbian text, especially after given the preceeding definition of that term (lesbian). Furthermore, she states that “Even if we know it, we cannot be too sure to tell whether or not we are reading a lesbian text”29.

In spite of the complexity, Zimmerman provides three categories to determine the lesbian text. The first category emphasizes on the sexual orientation of the author, whether she is a lesbian or not. The second one implies on the content of the story, whether it tells about the life of a lesbian or not. The final category concentrates more on the theme of story, whether it talks about the

27

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“vision” of lesbianism or not.30Based on these categories, lesbian literature can be defined as works which deal with lesbian and or lesbianism. It involves lesbian characters, plot or theme portraying lesbians and their life as well as their relationship written by lesbians and non-lesbian authors.

3. QueerTheory

Queermeans strange or unusual.31The word ‘queer’ itself means across – it come from the Indo-European root-twerkw, which also yields the Germanquer

(transverse), Latintorquere (to twist), Englishathwart… Keenly, it is relational, and strange.32 Queer is a word used as an offensive way of describing a homosexual. It is used as a taunt against gays and lesbians. The word was later adopted by its own so that the element of mockery disappeared. Tyson explains that the word queer is ‘adopted as an inclusive category for referring to a common political or cultural ground shared by gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, and all people who considers themselves, for whatever reasons, non-straight’.33 According to Tyson, the homophonic word queer, though that this ‘term is a tool for oppression, but it is also a tool for change’. Thus, it is used by gay men and women themselves as an approach within their own discipline “to demonstrate that heterosexists shouldn’t be allowed to define gay and lesbian experience.”34 For example; “You don’t tell us who we are - we tell you who we are! “We’re not

30

Peter Barry, Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory, p. 146. 31

Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, 5thed, (New York: Oxford University Press, 1995), p.1037.

32

Julian Wolfreys, Literary Theories: A Reader And Guide, (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press,1999), p. 532.

33

Louis Tyson, Critical Theory Today, p. 334. 34

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afraid to be seen”, “We are proud to be different!.” Or “We’re here, we’re queer – get used to it!” is used as a very popular slogan.

Alexander Doty defines several different meanings of queer. To him it has come to mean many things. First, it is used simply as synonym to refers to lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. Second, it is an “umbrella term” used to called “non-straight” positions.” Third, it is used to describes any non-normative expression of gender, including straight. Fourth, it is used to describe “non-straight things” not clearly sign-posted as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender but that bring with them a possibility for such a reading, even if incoherently. Fifth, it is used to locate the “non-straight work, positions, pleasure, and reading of people who don’t share the same sexual orientation as the text they are producing or responding to.” And the last, according to Doty “queer” may be a particular form of cultural readership and textual coding that creates spaces not contained within conventional categories such as gay, straight and transgendered.35

Queer theory is a field of critical theory that emerged in the early 1990s out of the fields of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) studies and feminist studies. In Queer Theory, queer word had a wider meaning than just another word for homosexual. What is meant with all sorts of queer sexual orientation outside of normative heterosexuality. Queer theory allows us to view the world from perspectives other than those which are generally validated by the

35

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dominant society.36 According to Tyson, “in queer theory, sexual categories cannot be defined by such simple oppositions as homosexual or heterosexual. Queer theory defines individual sexuality as a fluid, fragmented, dynamic collectivity of possible sexualities. She explains that since sexuality is a dynamic range of desire”. Someone’s sexuality may be different at different times over the area of his or her live. ‘Thus, sexuality is completely controlled neither by our biological sex (male or female) nor by the way our culture translates biological sex into gender roles (masculine or feminine). Sexuality exceeds these definitions and has a will, a creativity, an expressive need of its own’37Wolfreys emphasizes that queer theory can redress such omissions and others, by including the voices of people whose lived experiences involve non-vormative race, gender, and sexual identity/practices. Queer theory can strech the limits of current thought and possibly revolutionize it38.

Queer theory expands its focus to encompass any kind of sexual activity or identity that falls into normative and deviant categories. It offers a collective identity to which all non-straight people can belong. Queer theory starts from critical analysis of the idea that any given sexuality is natural and immutable. Queer theory questions traditional constructions of sexuality and sees non-heterosexual forms of sexuality as sites where hegemonic power can be undermined. Queer theory's main project is exploring the contesting of the categorization of gender and sexuality, that identities are not fixed – they cannot be categorized and labeled – because identities consist of many varied

36

Julian Wolfreys, Literary Theories: A Reader And Guide, p. 527. 37

Louis Tyson, Critical Theory Today, p. 335. 38

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components and that to categorize by one characteristic is perhaps a mistaken. Queer struggles aim not just at toleration or equal status but at challenging those institutions and accounts. For example, a woman can be a woman without being labeled a lesbian or feminist, and she may have a different race from the dominant culture. Queer theorists argue that a woman should be classed as possessing an individual identity and not put in the collective basket of feminists or of colour or the like.

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terms of those definitions operating in the culture from which that literature emerge.”39

Queer theory address the political ramifications, the advantages and dangers, of culturally ‘fixed’ categories of sexual identities and the ways in which they may, in the term given such potent currency.40 ‘Queer theory’ has been claimed and refuted as the filed in which we might most productively explore what is at stake for politics and people identified in terms of a range of sexualities, troubling not only the oppositional categories of heterosexuality/homosexuality, but also those of the apparently stable ‘same-sex’ labels of gay and lesbian too. ‘Queer Theory’ has been claimed as giving voice to those elided or marginalized by ‘gay’ and ‘lesbian’ studies – bisexuals, transsexuals, sado-masochists, for example – and yet also refuted for silencing such voices.41

In term of literature, Michael Warner explains that almost everything that would be called queer theory is about ways in which texts shape sexuality.42 Tyson states that “a queer text reveals the limits of traditional definitions of gender and sexuality”. It uncovers the problematic quality of the representations of sexual categories. In other words, it shows the dynamic and broad range of human sexuality is failed to be represented in a satisfactory manner.43

39

Michael Warner, From Queer to Eternity: An Army of Theorits Cannot Fail, Voice Literary Supplement, (1992), p. 19.

43

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4. Lesbians in Indonesia and in West

a. Lesbian in Indonesia: Movement and How They are Treated under the Law in Indonesia

In his book “The Gay Archipelago” Boellstorff explains that in the year 900, 1400, 1900, or probably even 1960, no one in the Indonesia archipelago called themselvesgay orlesbi.44“Only since the 1970s or so, people in Indonesia called themselves gay or lesbi, yet many Westerners sought a clear temporal trajectory connecting gay and lesbi with “indigenous” homosexualities.”45 Then he continues to explain that by the early 1980s gay and lesbi existed in the archipelago as nationally distributed subject positions.46

In 1982 the first gay rights interest group was established in Indonesia. The "Lambda Indonesia" and other similar organizations arose in the late 1980s and 1990s. Today, some of the major LGBT associations in the nation include "Gaya Nusantara" and "Arus Pelangi".47 The gay and lesbian movement in Indonesia is one of the oldest and largest in Southeast Asia.48 Lambda Indonesia activities included organizing social gatherings, consciousness-raising and created a newsletter, but the group dissolved in the 1990s. Gaya Nusantara is a gay rights group which focuses on homosexual issues such as AIDS. Another group is the

44

Tom Boellstorff, The Gay Archipelago. Sexuality and Nation in Indonesia, (Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2005), p. 36.

45

Tom Boellstorff, The Gay Archipelago. Sexuality and Nation in Indonesia, p. 35. 46

Tom Boellstorff, The Gay Archipelago. Sexuality and Nation in Indonesia, p. 36. 47

www.insideindonesia.org/edit46/dede.htm 48

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Yayasan Srikandi Sejati, which was founded in 1998. Now, there are over than thirty LGBT groups in Indonesia.49

Lesbian’s existence in Indonesia has yet to gain recognition and acceptance from society. As explained by Baden and Leon that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Indonesia face legal defiance and discrimination. Traditional customs disapprove homosexuality and cross-dressing, which impacts public policy. For example, Indonesian same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for any of the legal

protections available to opposite-sex married couples. The importance in Indonesia for social harmony leads to duties rather than rights to be emphasized, which means that human rights along with homosexual rights are very fragile.50 They add that the national criminal code does not prohibit private, non-commercial homosexual relations between consenting adults. A national bill to criminalize homosexuality, along with cohabitation, adultery and the practice of witchcraft, failed to be enacted in 2003 and no subsequent bill has been reintroduced.51 Therefore, international efforts are done by several countries to create and protect LGBT rights. Yogyakarta, Indonesia, hosted a 2006 summit on LGBT rights that produced the Yogyakarta Principles on the Application of

International Human Rights Law in Relation to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity.

49

Sri Agustine, “Rahasia Sunyi: Gerakan Lesbian di Indonesia”, p. 63. 50

Offord, Baden&Cantrell, Leon, "Homosexual Rights as Human Rights in Indonesia and Australia". Journal of Homosexuality, 40 (2001): 233 — 252.

51

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In Indonesia, homosexuality is an issue that is often spoken about in the legislation field reported by Doug Ireland52 in his articles entitled “Indonesia: Gays Fight Sharia Laws” in 2002. The Indonesian Government gave Aceh province the right to introduce Islamic sharia, albeit only to Muslim residents. Additionally, Widodo "Dodo" Budi Darmo53 informs that in 2004, the city of Palembang introduced a regional law that proscribes homosexuality as an act of prostitution that 'violates the norms of common decency, religion, and legal norms as they apply to societal rule’. That law says that included under the term 'act of prostitution' are 'homosexual sex, lesbians, sodomy, sexual harassment, and other pornographic acts’.54 Dodo said that this regional law was part of a chain of similar laws across Sumatra and Java that base themselves on Sharia law from the Qur’an. And there have been 52 regions that have adopted or put forward such

sharialaw from the Qur’an which criminalizes homosexuality.55

As explained by Dodo, homosexuality in Indonesia is not a legal offence but remains taboo in a country where 88 percent of Indonesia's quarter of a billion people identify themselves as Muslims. He continues to explain that Indonesia's Ministry of Justice and Human Rights is in the process of amending the Criminal Code, to criminalize homosexuality56. According to homoerotic act enacted in Indonesia, homosexuality is defined as an act of prostitution. Thus homosexual

52

Doug Ireland, a longtime radical journalist and media critic, runs the blog DIRELAND, where this article appeared Oct. 18, 2006. The article was originally written for Gay City News, New York City's largest weekly gay newspaper.

53

The director of campaigning for Arus Pelangi 54

Doug Ireland, “Indonesia Fight Sharia Laws”, 15 September 2013 <http://www.zcommunications.org/>

55

56

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people can be sent to jail because of their homosexual practice belongs to a criminal act. Even without such formal inclusion or criminal sanction in Indonesian law, Islamic law already profoundly affects and dictates social mores (mores are culturally based) on the subject of homosexuality. This leaves homosexuals in Indonesia extremely vulnerable to persecution justified by religious proscription of that identity. According to Dodo, such individuals are unable to seek protection for fear of their sexual orientation being revealed or exposed.57

This is the irony that LGBT people fall outside the law but are subject to it. While Indonesia has allowed private and consensual sexual relations between persons of the same sex since 1993, it has a higher age of consent for same sex relations than for heterosexual relations (17 for heterosexuals and 18 for homosexual).58 The National Constitution does not explicitly address sexual orientation or gender identity. It guarantees all citizens various legal rights, including equality before the law, equal opportunity, and humane treatment in the workplace, religious freedom, freedom of opinion, peaceful assembly, and association. Such legal rights are all expressly limited by the laws designed to protect public order and religious morality. Same-sex relations are not prohibited according to the national Penal Code. The only provision to deal with such relations is found in article 292 which prohibits sexual acts between persons of the

57

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same sex, if committed with a person under the legal age.59 In addition Johan explains that eventhough Indonesia applies the Napoleon code of law, which is not against homosexuality, in practice the rights of homosexuals are not valued. It is not guaranteed or protected by law. Therefore, institutional discrimination against lesbian and gay happens in Indonesia, such as individual civil right; marriage, inheritance and taxation.60

b. Lesbian in the West

The history of lesbianism in West is narrated by Tamsin Wilton. Wilton was a school teacher, a book shop manager and arts administrator. And she was involved in other arts work such as TV studio. And she was none as “emphisiatic” heterosexual. This is because she started falling in love with a woman in her late thirties. And then since then she decides that a lesbian life suited her much better. She even engaged in Master of Science in Gender and Social Policy, and then ultimately she became the first professor in human sexuality in UK, an honorary member of the gay and lesbian association of doctors and dentists.61

Wilton was internationally known for her work on the political and personal aspects of lesbian identity and sexuality, the social and cultural issues surroundings aids and complex relationship between sexual behaviors, identities, and wellbeing. On the issue of when the idea of the lesbians as a sexual identity 59

Pasal 292 Kitab Undang-Undang Hukum Pidana (KUHP): mengatur bahwa orang dewasa yang melakukan perbuatan cabul dengan orang lain yang sama jenis kelaminnya dengan dia yang diketahuinya atau sepatutnya harus di duganya belum dewasa, diancam dengan pidana penjara paling lama 5 tahun.((Article 292 The Book of the Law of Criminal Law (Penal Code): the adults who commit obscene acts with another person of the same sex who is suspected as minors are punished by a maximum imprisonment of 5 years)).

60

Rizki Theodorus Johan, The Asian Conference on Literature & Librarianship Official Conference Proceedings 2011, (Osaka, Japan: LibrAsia, 2011)

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emerged, Wilton wrote that the idea of “lesbianism” emerged as a part of what she called “the sexological project” and that was in 19 century. According to the new science of sexology, homosexual people were said to be the members of third sex. There followed a notion of homosexuality and lesbianism as conditions or as referring to distinct human types with the purpose of rescuing them from the earlier idea that same-sex activities were immoral and should be criminal.62

Wilton continues to narrate the life of lesbians in 1950s and early 1960s in Great Britain. She said lesbians’ life in the UK during those days was very risky and underground affairs (secretly). There were few places where women could meet and there were very few lesbians since most of them used to hide their sexual orientation. Tamsin pointed out the fact that she was lucky to have lesbian couple neighbors; namely Eliza and Iris who met during the 2ndWorld War when Iris left her abusive husband. From the life of Eliza and Iris, Wilton was able to become aware that most of women lived secret life full of stress and worries as lesbians.63

According to Wilton, women’s movement in the 1970s changed the meaning and social life of lesbian. In those days lesbian identity was politicized and that resulted in the more powerful position of women and that marked the end of strong impact of patriarchy. Furthermore, women-only social events were held in every town and city and there were far more places where it was safe for the lesbians to socialize. Therefore many women began to experiment with lesbian relationship (positive at this time). Nevertheless, as a result of Leeds

62

Seidman, Fisher&Meeks, Handbook of the New Sexuality Studies,ed., p. 154. 63

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Revolutionary Feminists (LRF), lesbian relationships began to suffer whereby political lesbians was experienced as an insult (taboo) and an attack on lesbians sexuality by women whose lesbian identities and relationship pre-dated feminism. “Everything from butch/femme to s/m was labeled ‘male-identified’, and lesbians who took part in such activities were pushed out of feminist space”.64

Wilton in that very same year attended Annual Lesbian Strength March in London and she said that she was surprised to find that “politically right-on” lesbian feminists handing out leaflets demanding that women in s/m gear or wearing leather were excluded from the march, and from the party at the Lesbian and Gay Centre where they march was to end up. Furthermore, there were HIV/AIDS pandemic and some lesbians published some statements that IHV/AIDS has nothing to do with lesbians. Some lesbians including Tamsin, however made some academic researches about health risks involve in same-sex relationship and they also provide educational material for the couples about safer ways of having sex and injecting street drugs.

Wilton also gave description of lives of lesbians in the contemporary world and that of in the 1970s and 1980s. She emphasizes that the meaning of sexual identity has changed. The author points out that even though there is still a lot of homophobia, popular youth culture regards homophobia as silly and uncool. Furthermore there are images of girls snogging each other everywhere. But according to Wilton this is not enough to say lesbians are free. This is because there are troubling ethnic and class issues whereby for example: the “urban”

64

A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE PORTRAYAL OF LESBIANS IN THIRTY SELECTED INDONESIAN AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE SHORT STORIES

A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE PORTRAYAL OF

LESBIANS IN THIRTY SELECTED INDONESIAN AND

ENGLISH LANGUAGE SHORT STORIES

A THESIS

Presented as a Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

to Obtain the

Magister Humaniora (M. Hum)

Degree

in English Language Studies

TIRA MARIANA

A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE PORTRAYAL OF

LESBIANS IN THIRTY SELECTED INDONESIAN AND

ENGLISH LANGUAGE SHORT STORIES

STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY

LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI

KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS

A Comparative Study on the Portrayal of Lesbians in Thirty Selected

Indonesian and English Language Short Stories

DEDICATION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABSTRACT

ABSTRAK

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION: PERSONAL RESTLESSNESS

VS LESBIANS’ STORIES

CHAPTER II

THEORETICAL REVIEW