Indonesian entertainer and trans icon Dorce Gamalama who is known as one of the modern pioneers for trans visibility passed away today (16 February) at 58. 

This news was confirmed by her best friend, Hetty Soendjaya. She said Dorce passed away due to COVID-19 at a hospital in West Jakarta this morning at 7:30 am. Therefore, her funeral will follow the COVID-19 burial arrangement. 

“She died from COVID-19. Therefore, we didn't take her home," said Hetty. “[We] don't know where and when the funeral will be. Maybe today. Please pray for her and we apologise for all her mistakes,” she added.

Dorce was diagnosed with diabetes as well as Alzheimer’s which affected her memory and speech. She also suffered from kidney stones in 2019. According to her niece Mimi, Dorce has been going back and forth to hospital since mid-2020 until 2021. Her health started to deteriorate last October to the point where she can no longer walk and needed a wheelchair. 

Dorce Gamalama was born as a male named Dedi Yuliardi Ashadi on 21 July 1963. She started off her career as a comedian by pretending to be a woman or drag queen under the stage name Dorce Ashadi, which was given by Myrna, the leader of trans women dance troupe Fantastic Dolls.

In order to support his appearance on stage, Dedi decided to performed a sex reassignment surgery in Surabaya back in 1983. She was later known as Dorce Gamalama, a name she took from Mt Gamalama in Ternate island, Maluku.

Since then, she gained more popularity in the entertainment industry, often appearing as a television presenter. In 2005, she did her own talk show, the Dorce Show, on Trans TV. Dorce is also known as a singer. She set a record at the Indonesian Record Museum (MURI) for launching nine albums in just five months.

Dorce made headlines in late January after she stated in an interview with Denny Sumargo that when she died, she wanted to be buried as a woman. 

“[I would like to be buried] as I am now. Because after my [sex reassignment] surgery, I have a female genitalia, so women should bathe me, and bathe [and bury] me as a woman,” Dorce said in the interview.

Dorce’s statement then sparked debate. The Indonesia Ulema Council (MUI), the highest Islamic clerical body in the nation, said that the body of a transgender should be taken care of according to their assigned gender at birth for funeral rites, as gender change is not recognised in Islam. 

According to the latest update, however, the cleric who will take care of her funeral said that she will be buried as a man, as decided by her family.