Activists and an independent journalists’ body in Indonesia have warned the media against giving undue importance to politicians’ efforts to exploit Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) issues ahead of polls in the nation with the world’s largest Muslim population. In a joint statement on March 7, they said discriminatory coverage of politicians and government officials calling for anti-LGBT laws “has the potential to reinforce hostility, hatred, discrimination and persecution” against the LGBT community. Citing a study conducted with 113 news stories with the keyword ‘LGBT’ ‘between January and February, the Indonesian Independent Journalists Alliance, Journalists’ Union for Diversity, and Arus Pelangi, an NGO for the rights of the LGBT community, blamed the media for giving undue importance to anti-LGBT statements by politicians and government officials.