Two Indonesian girls rest in the interval of a dance competition. Andrea Fenn / for China Daily

Isolated and away from their families in Hong Kong, many Indonesian domestic helpers turn to homosexuality. Some are vowed to retain their lesbian lifestyles throughout their lives - but many face a difficult transition when the time comes for them to return to their homeland where lesbianism is considered a problem. Andrea Fenn reports.

"I was the firstborn child and I had to look after my little siblings, so my family always expected me to act like a boy."

Argy wears basketball trainers, a black waistcoat and a tie bundled like a scarf round her neck. Her black permed hair is tied in a bun to make it look shorter. She does not wear makeup or jewelry, only a plain necklace with a metal ring.

Argy is one of the many Indonesian lesbian domestic helpers in Hong Kong.

"When I arrived in Hong Kong, I saw many women dressing like males and being with other women. I was far away from home, no one was controlling me, so I finally felt free to become a boy."

To Argy, like many of her mates, homosexual relations are a way to find comfort from the solitude and the hardships of working as maids in the city.

Homosexuality among Indonesian domestic helpers is a widespread phenomenon. Muthi Hidayati, coordinator at the Indonesian Migrant Workers' Union, maintains that up to 20 percent of Indonesian females working in Hong Kong are homosexual.

"House helpers live in a female-only society, where it is necessary to establish close bonds with female friends and workmates," says Ms Hidayati. "Far away from their families and their culture, they very often turn to lesbianism."

Indonesian authorities are aware of the phenomenon, though they disagree about its magnitude and its causes. Indonesian consul of consular affairs in Hong Kong Hari Budiarto says homosexuality among Indonesians is a marginal issue, and it is often a result of ignorance rather than genuine sexual orientation.

"Some domestic helpers come from the countryside, and have very little knowledge about the world," explains Mr Budiarto. "When in Hong Kong, they get influenced by their friends, and become lesbian without knowing they are wrong."

However, according to cultural anthropologist at the University of Hong Kong Amy Sim, these women start developing lesbian identities back home in Indonesia, at the recruitment centers where they train before leaving to work as maids.

"These centers are a cold, lonely experience: there have been instances of recruiters molesting women on the journey to the center, and when there, they are isolated and far away from their families," says Dr Sim. "So they find solace in each other, sleeping together and taking collective baths."

Dr Sim argues lesbianism is not about gender transformation, but a role-play game, a consequence of the imbalance in the Indonesian community in the city.

"I don't know any who actually changed sex surgically. Most just impersonate men because they think there should be a male in their group," says Dr Sim.

In Hong Kong, those who play the role of men call each other Tomboys, and Argy is one of those.

"Tomboys do not like other Tomboys. They are boys, so they like girls," she explains. "And girls like us, because we are boys."

Argy has a girlfriend, with whom she has been together for five years. Her girlfriend is feminine and submissive, laughs when asked simple questions and blushes when asked personal ones. While Argy talks, her girlfriend serves her food and drinks. With a white dress and wearing makeup, she appears the exact opposite of Argy. She declined to give her full name.

Argy moved to Hong Kong nine years ago, when she was 20. Her first job lasted only four months, until the 70-year-old "grandpa" in her care harassed her when his daughter was not at home.

She terminated the contract straight away, and was reassigned to a new family in Hung Hom. She has worked there since.

"I am lucky to have them as employers. They don't care about how I dress or what I do in my spare time," she says. "They even know I have a girlfriend: often my girlfriend will call at home and my employers pick up the phone, so they probably know we are together."

Not all lesbian maids are this lucky. According to Argy, it is common that employers terminate contracts when they realize their domestic helpers are homosexual.

"At the first small mistake, like waking up late or getting the breakfast menu wrong, they will call the agency and tell them they want another helper," she says.

However, according to Dr Sim, the attitude of Hong Kong employers towards homosexual domestic helpers is varied, and not all have a prejudice.

"Some male employers are excited about having a lesbian maid at home, as they find the thought extremely sexual. I have even heard of one employer accompanying his maid to perform a mastectomy," says Dr Sim. "That said, most don't really care."

Apart from sporadic discrimination from Hong Kong employers, lesbian maids also have to face prejudice when they return home.

"The more fanatic Indonesians already think it's wrong if young women leave their families to go to work," says Ms Hidayati. "Obviously, if it turns out that the girl has lost her virginity or become a lesbian, she is often shunned and marginalized."

According to the consulate, this has to do with the principal philosophy of the country, which is founded in religion and is opposed to homosexuality.

"Lesbianism is a temporary phenomenon; if they are well treated and accepted by society, most of them heal by themselves when they go back," says Mr Budiarto.

However, Dr Sim argues that giving up lesbianism can be a more traumatic experience. When back home, lesbians suffer from the pressure of their families, who often prepare arranged marriages and force them to renounce their homosexuality. Most end up marrying a man and having children.

For this reason, when she goes back to Indonesia, Argy might be forced to rethink her identity again.

"My girlfriend? Of course she will marry a boy, because she is a girl," says Argy. "But my case is different. I am a Tomboy, and I will never like boys. When I go back to Indonesia, I will not marry."

Argy's girlfriend sitting beside her giggles. Argy glances at her, frowning.

"She (Argy) is also going to get married to a man," explains the girlfriend. "Now she says that, but when she goes back home, she will become a girl again. They all do."

Finally, they both laugh, as if they had this disagreement many times in the past.

Indonesian house helpers often sport heavy makeup and boyish clothes on Sunday. Andrea Fenn / for China Daily

Indonesian domestic helpers in Hong Kong often dress up like boys during dance and theatre performances. Andrea Fenn / for China Daily

(HK Edition 11/09/2010 page4)