Not only did she stay true to her identity, she was also not...
Only ----- did the legislators eventually agree to discuss the bill.
in December
Only ---- did the police begin an investigation.
Only after public outcry did
Only after we discovered gross abuse had occured there
Farewell, “Bunda”: Presenter and multifaceted artist Dorce Gamalama poses for an Instagram post on July 17, 2014.
Condolences for “Bunda” Dorce are pouring in on social media following her death on Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. in South Jakarta.
Renowned presenter and multifaceted artist Dorce Gamalama passed away at age 58 on Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. at Pertamina Center Hospital (RSPP) Extention in Simprug, South Jakarta.
The news was broken by her friend and fellow singer Hetty Sunjaya.
“She died of COVID-19, so she will not be brought back home.
She will be shrouded at the hospital,.
Dorce, who also had a long list of other illnesses,
She was infected by COVID-19 and had been hospitalized for three weeks.
She was rushed to the hospital and remained unconscious until her death.
"Please pray for her and forgive her mistakes.
Dorce would be buried under COVID-19 protocols.
Born on July 21, 1963 in Solok, West Sumatra, Dorce was a singer, actress, comedian and presenter.
She made her name as the host of a morning talk show called Dorce Show in 2005,
gaining nationwide popularity and referred to as Bunda (Mother) Dorce,
with some claiming her to be Indonesia’s Oprah Winfrey.
Dorce is a renowned trans woman, publicly telling her experience of gender dysphoria when she was 7 years old and her journey into accepting herself as a woman.
Dorce began to wear women's clothes in her teens, eventually getting her name during her time in the trans-women-led dance group Fantastic Dolls.
She later underwent sex reassignment surgery in Surabaya in 1983.
Her gender change was officially recognized in 1986 under the name Dorce Ashadi.
Her stage name was derived from Mount Gamalama in Ternate.
Dorce started to gain popularity in show business in the 1990s, with two movies called Dorce Sok Akrab (Too-Chummy Dorce) and Dorce Ketemu Jodoh (Dorce Found Her Partner),
in which she was the lead actress.
She has released multiple pop and dangdut albums, even achieving an Indonesian World Records Museum (MURI) record of releasing nine albums in the span of five months, from November 2005 to March 2006.
After the Dorce Show got canceled in 2009, Dorce only appeared in other TV shows as a guest star.
Dorce was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and kidney stones in 2021.
She also had Alzheimer's and had reportedly fallen ill from hypotension.
In January 2021, Dorce's health continued to deteriorate, which led her to prepare for her Islamic funeral.
In her will, she wished to be buried as a woman, which caused a backlash from prominent religious figures
who deemed that she should be identified as a man.
Dorce’s trans identity has been widely accepted in the country and her life story has inspired many.
Her famous autobiography Aku Perempuan (I Am a Woman) was published in 2005.
But Dorce also has a conservative view of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer (LGBTQ) community.
"I’ve never been offended [when others talk about LGBT people] because I thought I am not part of them.
I am a part of my own self,” she said in 2018, as quoted by nakita.id.
“I am officially recognized by the District Court, I am not a fake woman,
it is girl with girl relationships that are banned [in Islam],” she said in 2016 while visiting actor Saipul Jamil during his time in prison.
Dorce was a well-known philanthropist and has four adopted children and six grandchildren.
She owned a number of orphanages and a free school for orphans.
Condolences for Bunda Dorce are pouring in on social media from celebrities and public figures across generations.
“Indonesia has lost a ‘Bunda’ figure who is very dear to us all.
My deepest condolences for the passing of Bunda Dorce Gamalama,” State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir wrote on Twitter.
“I can testify that Bunda is a good person, she never treated anyone differently,
be it a new artist or the President,” Eko Patrio, Dorce’s former cohost on a show called Kencan (It’s a Date),
said on Instagram.
“[She]
was always willing to share roles [and] give her fortune to those in need. Farewell, Bun.”
Senior artist Dorce Gamalama passed away on Wednesday, February 16, 2022 at 07:30 WIB (Western Indonesian Time) at Pertamina Hospital.
Dorce died at the age of 58 due to Covid.
She is famously known in Indonesia for her profession as a singer, comedian, and TV host
Hetty is a Dangdut singer and close friend of Dorce, She confirmed this.
She passed away of Covid-19.
"She died at 07:30 in the morning.
She had Covid-19 for almost three weeks in the hospital.
Hetty further explained that
Her health condition had deteriorated badly, making her unconscious,
so she was immediately rushed to RSPP (Hospital).
She could not see her body because the medical officers immediately took care of the body.
"You can't see her body, it's immediately being taken care of by the hospital.
It's not allowed (to see the body) now because of the Covid-19 situation.
Hetty has yet to receive news of Dorce Gamalama's burial site location.
She only asked the public to forgive all her mistakes in life.
"I still don't know where the burial site is.
It's still under discussion. Please pray for her," she said.
She was the first modern transsexual to go public in Indonesia.
She became a successful celebrity on TV and had her own broadcast, The Dorce Show, in 2005 to 2009.
Dorce Gamalama remain is to be buried at TPU Bambu Apus (Bambu Apus Public Cemetery) at Bantar Jati, East Jakarta.
ABC or “Cara” for short, has nothing but respect and admiration for the late Dorce Gamalama,
She was an Indonesian pop singer, actress, TV host and comedienne
She passed away after battling COVID-19 and diabetes complications.
She looked up to Dorce Gamalama.
She called her a “trans icon.”
When she was a child,
however, being called “the next Dorce” was actually among the hurtful comments
that she received for being, as she put it, “an effeminate boy.”
“I remember so many people told me that I would grow up to be like Dorce.
At the time, I felt ashamed because [I thought,] what was that supposed to mean?”
She recalled growing up in Ambon, Maluku, knowing that there was something different about her.
She remembered being “too scared and traumatized” to come to terms with her gender identity.
Being “different” at school did not help her,
as classmates would often mock and bully her.
“My uncles and aunties from my father’s side mocked me as well,”
she revealed, adding that
“the next Dorce” comment also came from some of her family members.
Years and years went by before Cara eventually came to terms with her identity as a woman.
“That same year someone outed me to my family. So I decided to come out to my parents as well,” she said, adding that she began her medical transition in 2020.
Now, as an adult, Cara appreciates the late Dorce Gamalama as someone who paved the way for many trans women who came after her.
“I wish I could be 1 percent of how amazing [Dorce] was.
If someone called me ‘Dorce’ now, I’d be like, ‘you mean a trans icon?
She’s so amazing,” she said with a smile.
Some of her accomplishments Cara highlighted include being the host of a popular daytime talk show, Dorce Show that aired from 2005 to 2009 on Trans TV.
Dorce Show, which showcased Dorce’s comedic prowess and incredible warmth and kindness when interviewing people,
DS was one of the television network’s top-rated programs at the time.
As a singer, Dorce received a certificate from the Indonesian Museum of Records (MURI) for releasing five studio albums in just five months between November 2005 and March 2006.
“[Dorce] was the first trans woman who was really well-known.
She also gave back to the people and had many adopted children.
Many trans women out there see her as an example.
[She showed us that] we can live out there as a woman and still be amazing and respected.
Her legacy as an entertainer is also recognized by people from outside the transgender community.
the guests were Indonesian Muslim women who wore headscarves and came from a Quran study group.
this episode showcased Dorce’s ability to bridge two different views.
“[Dorce] was accepted as a woman and her career paved the way for transgender people who wanted to become someone to be reckoned with in the entertainment industry,”
As an actress, Dorce Gamalama was known for her role in movies such as Dorce Sok Akrab (Super-friendly Dorce) in1989 and Dorce Ketemu Jodoh (Dorce Finds a Soulmate) in 1990.
Famous Indonesian film directors praised Dorce separately.
“Bunda Dorce was among the first few to be open about her transition and taught us about pride.
She wasn’t only brave. She was a hero.
“Bunda” is Indonesian for “mother”
but also a term of
endearment for women who are seen as having motherly qualities.
he already admired Dorce when she first entered the entertainment industry back
in the 1980s.
“Beautiful, brave, multitalented, but still elegant.
Many transgender actresses were stuck in stereotypes by making fun of themselves.
But Mbak Dorce was different. She showcased amazing talents, from singing and stand-up comedy to acting.
On her comedic prowess, he noted that Dorce’s presence in Indonesia’s entertainment industry was an anomaly due to the conservative nature of the society.
“In the early years of her career, she still made trans jokes.
Understandable considering the context at the time.
But she changed, in later years she steered clear of any trans jokes and was still a performer. = avoid
Not only did she stay true to her identity, she was also not trapped in a niche field of humor.
Even those outside the entertainment industry recognized Dorce.
She recalled meeting Dorce in person at a social gathering back in 1990 after winning two gold medals for Indonesia at the Asian Games in Beijing.
“She was very funny. I forget the exact jokes that she told but she was very humorous.
She admired Dorce’s humanitarian work, especially in helping children and education.
An activist? While her status as a one-of-a-kind entertainer, Dorce Gamalama’s relationship with the LGBT community was arguably complicated.
Having been legally recognized as a woman by a court in the mid-1980s, Dorce stated that she was “a woman” and refused to talk about LGBT issues from 2016.
Dorce Gamalama had shown that a trans woman could be successful and be accepted by society.
However, Yulianus, better known as Mami Yulie among her peers, expressed her disappointment that Dorce did not acknowledge the trans community while she was still alive.
The late Dorce did not want to be involved in any trans activism, including in lending a hand to trans women who were poor or had become street sex workers.
“As far as I know, as a public figure, she [Dorce] stated that she was a woman and not a trans woman.
So whenever we [as a community] wanted to invite her [to events], she didn’t want to be included,”
“I also received information that she wouldn’t let people from the trans community visit her when she was sick.”
Despite this, Yulie still praised Dorce for improving the image of trans women in the eyes of Indonesian society.
“Let’s just forgive each other and I hope her good deeds will be welcomed by God Almighty,”
Dorce was not a trans woman activist, but more like “a single fighter.” “It’s up to her to identify herself as a woman, in my opinion.
But society knows that
she was a trans woman at
some point,” Dede remarked.
not everybody had to be an activist.
Dorce had made trans women visible to society, especially through her television work.
She was also known for her charity work especially with orphans throughout Indonesia.
“Personally, I saw her as a performer who was really disciplined.
Dorce had achieved so many things despite not declaring herself as an activist.
“She managed to be accepted as a woman, a philanthropist, an artist and as a Muslim.
He referred to Dorce’s later life as a devoted Muslim.
Her well-publicized struggle to be medically and legally accepted as a woman in the late 1980s was pretty much part of the LGBT movement.
“We should also note that Dorce was called ‘Bunda’. This nickname shows her adoration and respect and
if you see other
prominent trans women who have come after Dorce, they also receive this
moniker, such as Hendrika “Bunda” Mayora Victoria.
Bunda Mayora became the first openly trans woman to hold a public official
position in Indonesia when she was selected as the chairperson of the Sikka
village consultative body in March 2020.
Sandy, 40, a Jakarta-based office worker, said that
despite not being part of the LGBT community, she admired Dorce’s bravery.
“She opened my mind to another type of gender that exists in this world that needs love as much as the others.
I hope she can become a role model to all my transgender friends out there to be brave and show who they really are.
She preferred to use her given name only.
While Dorce Gamalama’s “hands-on” role in the LGBT community might be limited, Cara still looks up to her legacy.
