Indonesian Volleyball Queen Undergoes Gender Reassignment Surgery After Enlistment... Military Authorities Provide Support

Military Authorities Strict on Homosexuality... "Aprilia Has Found Her True Gender"
Aprilia Born with Congenital Genital Deformity... Raised as Female

Indonesian female volleyball star Aprilia Santini Manganang. Photo by Aprilia Instagram capture.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-ju] An Indonesian female volleyball star has undergone gender reassignment surgery, drawing attention as the local military authorities supported the procedure.

According to local media such as Kompas on the 10th, former national team female volleyball player Aprilia Santini Manganang (28) stands 170 cm tall, weighs 70 kg, and has broad shoulders and muscles, giving her a physique similar to that of a man.

During her playing days, Aprilia was often suspected of "not being a woman."

She was known as an "all-around spiker" with the best jumping ability among Indonesian female volleyball players and received numerous MVP awards.

At the 2015 Southeast Asian Games held in Singapore, the coach of the Philippine team, which faced Indonesia, said, "Aprilia is so strong that it seems like a male player was put on the women's team," expressing doubt about whether Aprilia was female.

In response to these suspicions, the Indonesian National Sports Committee (KONI) announced, "Gender tests confirmed that she is definitely female."

Aprilia played as a professional athlete before joining the women's military volleyball team in 2017. After retiring from volleyball last year, she transitioned to a career as a professional soldier in the army.

The day before, the military authorities held a press conference and announced, "Aprilia underwent gender reassignment surgery at a military hospital."

Army Chief of Staff Andika Perkasa explained, "Aprilia was born with a problem in her reproductive organs. She is not trans. The military authorities helped her complete the procedures she had not been able to undergo until now."

Aprilia was born with a congenital malformation called hypospadias, where the urethral opening is located on the underside of the penis. Her family and attending doctors failed to properly recognize this, and she was raised as a female.

Aprilia said, "With the support of the military authorities, I have completed the first surgery to become male. This is the moment I have been waiting for. I am truly happy and grateful," expressing her feelings.

The military authorities agreed to revise various administrative documents so that Aprilia can live legally as a male.

Indonesia has a population that is 87% Muslim. Since homosexuality is religiously taboo and sexual minorities are often oppressed, the military's decision attracted significant attention.

The local military prohibits activities of sexual minorities such as homosexuality among soldiers and punishes violations as insubordination.

However, public opinion regarding Aprilia is predominantly that "she has lived with the wrong gender all her life and is now correcting it to her original sex."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.