Pernikahan Gay pertama di Indonesia?!?!

Denpasar - Pasangan gay Belanda, Hendricus Johannes Deijkers dan Christianus Huijbregts, menyangkal melangsungkan pernikahan secara Hindu di Bali. Mereka mengaku sudah menikah di Belanda.

"Sudah lama sekali," kata Christianus Huijbregts pada detikcom, Kamis (16/10/2008).

Chris menuturkan, upacara yang mereka gelar Rabu kemarin bukanlah pernikahan. "Kita tidak menikah. Ini potong gigi. Di kartu undangan tidak ada kata menikah," katanya dengan bahasa Indonesia patah-patah. Dia juga menyesalkan adanya pemberitaan bahwa dia melangsungkan pernikahan secara Hindu.

"Saya hanya pindah agama Katolik ke Hindu," kata Chris.

Chris dan pasangannya sudah 7 tahun menetap di Bali. "Saya membeli rumah di Dusun Pupuan Sawah, Tabanan," ujarnya. Pasangan ini memutuskan pindah agama setelah mereka memiliki anak angkat, Ni Putu Trisnayanti.

Ni Putu Trisnayanti adalah cucu dari Ni Made Rasti. Rasti sendiri telah mengangkat Chris dan pasangannya sebagai anak angkat. "Jadi saya ingin masuk menjadi keluarga mereka," kata Chris yang mengaku telah pensiun dari pekerjaannya di Belanda ini.

Dia mengaku sudah diterima oleh warga setempat dan ikut bergotong royong dalam berbagai kegiatan
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Denpasar - Dua gay Belanda, Hendricus Johannes Deijkers dan Christianus Huijbregts, dilaporkan menikah dengan menggunakan upacara Hindu. Ketua Parisade Hindu Dharma Indonesia (PHDI) Kecamatan Selemadeg, Kabupaten Tabanan, Bali, Dewa Putu Sukadana, menyangkal informasi tersebut.

"Tidak ada pernikahan. Mereka hanya melakukan upacara perpindahan agama dari Katolik ke Hindu," ujar Sukadana pada detikcom, Kamis (16/10/2008).

Sukadana menuturkan, 2 bule itu memutuskan berganti agama setelah diangkat anak oleh Ni Made Rasti. Rasti menetap di Dusun Pupuan Sawah, Desa Pupuan Sawah, Kecamatan Selemadeg, Kabupaten Tabanan

Sukadana menuturkan, dalam proses perpindahan agama, 2 bule sepuh itu menjalani beberapa ritual, dimulai dari mecolong, yaitu upacara untuk anak yang baru lahir. Kemudian acara 3 bulanan, setelah itu acara 6 bulanan (otonan) dan setelah menginjak dewasa, mengikuti upacara potong gigi.

Mengapa 2 bule itu masuk agama Hindu? "Ini permintaan dari yang bersangkutan. Mereka sudah lama tinggal di Bali dan mengenal budaya Bali. Jadi mereka ingin menjadi orang Bali," ujar Sukadana.

Untuk memastikan upacara itu bukan upacara perkawinan, PHDI mengecek sesaji yang digunakan dalam upacara Rabu kemarin. "Setelah kami konfirmasi ke pemangku dan orang yang menjual banten/sesaji, tidak ada sesaji untuk upacara pernikahan," ujar Sukadana.

Setelah upacara itu, PHDI lalu mengeluarkan akte agama Hindu bagi 2 bule itu secara resmi.

Mengapa PHDI menerima mereka? "Agama Hindu sangat terbuka. Jika ada niat tanpa paksaan, kita akan memproses pemindahan agama," jawab Sukadana.

Tidak melihat status bahwa mereka adalah gay? "Kita tidak melihat status gay, status agama sebelumnya apa," demikian Sukadana.

Kantor berita Reuters Rabu kemarin melaporkan pasangan gay asal Belanda Hendricus Johannes Deijkers dan Christianus Huijbregts merayakan pesta pernikahannya di Desa Pupuan Sawah, Tabanan, Bali. Dilaporkan juga, mereka adalah pasangan pertama gay yang menikah dalam upacara pernikahan Hindu.
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BALI GAY PARADISE ISLAND ??

The Balinese are Hindu/animist, unlike the rest of predominantly Muslim Indonesia. They are self-assured, genuinely friendly, curious, and always make time to chat. Some of your most memorable experiences will come from warm interaction with local folk. Everyone here seems to be an artist of some kind and daily offerings and rituals are a way of life. While men and women no longer wander about in innocent nakedness, you will certainly encounter unselfconsciousness at the morning and evening bathing hours at rivers, pools, and public baths (Balinese become invisible when they slip out of their sarong).

While Bali may be one of the most tolerant and gay-friendly destinations on the planet, you will not find much in the way of open gay lifestyle except in the touristic Kuta/Legian area. Open gays you encounter will usually come from neighboring islands. Many Balinese mythical figures celebrated in music and dance have androgynous characteristics. That, together with the high visibility of many gay visitors to the island and a quiet acceptance among the indigenous communities, mean that most Balinese are aware of homosexuality. However, for Balinese, marriage and the union of opposite genders is a requirement for their full participation in village life. That said, homosexuality is certainly not a serious matter or one requiring a moral judgement. Interestingly, murals in The Hall of Justice in the Taman Gili, which luridly depict the punishments of hell, represent a wide range of sins from incest and bestiality to gossiping and farting -- but no proscriptions against homosexuality are recorded.

Not surprisingly, Bali has been a famous haven for homosexuals, and a number of its renowned foreign residents lead comfortable, open lives here. Respected artists like Rudolf Bonnet, Donald Friend and, most famously, Walter Spies, all contributed to the thriving cultural synthesis that is Bali today. The spectacular kecak monkey chant, perceived by millions of tourists as a glimpse back in time to the "real" Bali, was actually re-choreographed by Spies, who combined several languishing performance traditions, increased the number of male performers, stripped them to loincloths, and set them in a circle around a central fire light.

On the topic of sex, it needs to be said that the Balinese are not especially given to going out and having a few drinks at a bar and getting picked up. These are people who believe you can go into full-fledged demonic possession at the sound of a gong, and being drunk is not a happy feeling for them. On the other hand, they are not shy about physical contact between people of the same gender. Friendly encounters may lead to a chance to get better acquainted, but you are likely to be disappointed if you arrive with the expectation of finding a holiday boyfriend. Knowing a little Indonesian, and the gentle art of teasing and flirting, will go a long way towards making friends.

The population of Bali is about 2.5 million (that's 100,000 Utopians).