ProfileMeet the Context team

Yosef Riadi

Freelance Journalist

Thomson Reuters Foundation

Yosef Riadi is a Freelance Journalist for Openly, covering LGBT+ news.

January 19, 2024

Long-sought IDs give trans Indonesians the right to vote Socioeconomic Inclusion

Trans women prepare before a Trans Super Heroes fashion show at a traditional market in Jakarta, Indonesia, December 17, 2023. REUTERS/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana

At 53, Mak Luké, a transgender woman, will go to the polls for the first time when Indonesia holds an election on Feb. 14 after finally obtaining a government identity card.

Like many trans Indonesians, Mak Luké left her family as a teenager and ended up living on the streets, making it difficult for her to apply for an ID card. That meant she could not access public services, open a bank account - or vote.

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