Transgenders Perform Traditional Opera In Indonesia

SURABAYA, INDONESIA - OCTOBER 29: A transvestite Avi (16), applies make up in the backstage before perform a traditional dance opera known as Ludruk on October 29, 2016 in Surabaya, Indonesia. Indonesia's LGBT community has been under a wave of attacks since the beginning of 2016 while the country's ministers had described transgenderism as a mental disorder, and gay sex had been criminalized, as well as nonmarital heterosexual sex. In Mojokerto, East Java, the performers of a traditional dance opera group called Ludruk Karya Budaya, which began May 29, 1969, play female roles while adding a touch of comedy. The group consists of 18 transgendered and transvestite performers, each earning up to Rp 150,000 ($15USD) per show. Homosexuality and gay sex are not illegal in Indonesia but the world's largest Muslim country has been increasing meeting intolerance from the Indonesian public. (Photo by Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)