The debate about how we should perceive LGBT exists in the society now. Some people said they’re sinners, some people see they as “sick”, or abnormal. Whatever you say, people will see them different from “normal” people. And know, I will tell you how do I perceive LGBT.

First, let me tell you my background. I live in Indonesia, the country that have the biggest population of Moslem. I am myself is a Moslem. The debate about LGBT in my country is not as resounding as in USA, for example, because people there is more heterogeneous than here. But I do know a lot of my friends that are LGBT, because I live in debaters society, where most of us has more open mind from conservative people, so the level of acceptance of LGBT here is also high.

And now, how I see LGBT?? I believe that they have a different hormone inside their body. On the past, what I know if there is a baby with two sexes, the parents can simply choose the sex of the baby based on the existence of womb. In Islam, if the baby have the womb, she will be a women. But if not, the baby will be a boy. But one episode of Oprah Show opened my eyes. Its not that simple. Maybe the parents can choose the sex of the baby, but when the baby grow up, the children will still feel something different inside their body, and the possibility of become transgender is still there. (fyi, transgender means you are man, but you feel you are women, but still keep your sexual organ, or vis versa. But transexual means you have changed your sexual organ). That is why transgender happen in the first place. Its a hormonal problem, not a choice. Why I believe so? Because I see many boy friends of mine have body language like a girl, but they still believe that they are boy. So when you decide to become transgender, it means you can no longer persistent to the condition inside your body that force you to do so.

The latest book I read: “why man don’t listen and women can’t read maps”. Tell us that lesbian and gay is also has the same hormonal problem, but not as “severe” as transgender. The book says that your sexual orientation are developed based on the hormone (progesterone or testosterone) that your brain get when you still an embryo. If you are a boy but get progesterone most when you still a fetus, you will have the same orientation as a girl, and become a gay, or worse, transgender. This also applied to a girl which get testosterone most.

I don’t know whether this theory true or not. Because maybe the writer said that only for the sake of change the paradigm in society, that see LGBT as a sinner. But it seems the most logical explanation to me.

Whatever the explanation, I know that LGBT people have a different hormone from common people. That is why I don’t believe they are sinner. They do this because of the physical condition that they have.

I am a Moslem, and I really curious about Islam teaching about these people. What I know is that Islam see LGBT as sinner, as the one who will go to hell. Based on my first thought, I was questioning the justice inside my religion. Yes, it was my first time doubting my own religion.

But after having a discussion with my friend, who has more knowledge about Islam teaching, my eyes has been opened. My religion never teach to hate them, or worse, discriminate them. If they sick, then God must understand them. My religion hate homosexuality, because Islam know the risk of doing that is really high (for example, getting Sexual Transmitted Diseases). But for transgender people, we can’t hate them. We have to help them. If they want to go pray in the mosque, they can see from which sexual organ the urine go out. So Islam still accept them in the mosque..If they become transgender because of their choice, what Islam teach is to talk slowly with them. Because basically, Islam is full of love and tender.

That is why I still accept LGBT people in my community. I have no fear for them. How about you??