Mario Pratama

Transhition Collective (Indonesia)

Tama (Mario Pratama, Yogyakarta – Indonesia) is a young transgender man known for his persistence in mainstreaming trans and gender identity issues among LGBTIQ movement in Indonesia. After initiating trans men movement through Transhition and Transmen Indonesia; he was chosen to be chairperson of PLUSH, a local LGBTI organisation in Yogyakarta, which made him the first trans man to lead an Indonesian LGBTI organisation. His active involvement in national organisations such as Arus Pelangi and Forum LGBTIQ Indonesia has successfully transformed LGBTI movement to be trans inclusive and made affirmative actions for trans communities available.

He works mainly with grassroot trans communities: from handling daily violence cases, facing police officers and extremist groups in streets, building support groups, to reviewing discriminatory policies. He then brings the grassroot’s voice to global community through for example Universal Periodic Review and Commission on the Status of Women; and contributing to several reports written by, among others, Human Rights Watch, Frontline Defenders, ILGA, Outright Action International, Asia Pacific Transgender Network & UNDP.

Living under threats as an LGBTI Rights defender has not and will not stop him from pursuing his dream of a just and equal world. “No pride for some of us without liberation of all of us!”