Instagram celebrity Millen Cyrus, who was formerly known as her birth name Muhammad Millendaru Prakasa, has been named a suspect in a drug case following her arrest at a hotel in North Jakarta last night.
Millen’s arrest awakened transphobic sentiments and highlighted the general lack of acceptance for trans people in the country, as the matter of which cell she would be assigned to became a topic of ridicule among social media users and the mainstream media alike.
Tanjung Priok Port Police Chief Ahrie Sonta said his narcotics unit received a tip for alleged drug trafficking at a North Jakarta hotel, which brought officers to the location where they found Millen with a man, identified as 33-year-old JR. The two were promptly apprehended, though JR, who reportedly tested negative for drugs, is still considered a witness.
During the raid, police found a bong, a bottle of an alcoholic drink, and 0.36 grams of crystal meth, which is locally known as shabu. Police named Millen a suspect for possession and drug use after her urine test came out positive this afternoon.
According to Ahrie, Millen have used shabu several times in the past couple of months at different locations in Bali and Jakarta.
After having previously identified herself as an androgynous man, Millen has come forward with identifying herself as woman. Despite this, netizens and some less-enlightened media outlets couldn’t help but speculate, in mocking tones, whether Millen would be placed in holding with men or women (we’re not going to embed examples here for obvious reasons).
In the end, police said Millen has been placed in a male cell, which was totally expected considering Indonesia’s lack of legal acknowledgement for trans people.
“Millen will be put in a cell according to the gender listed on her KTP (identity card). At the moment her KTP states that she is male,” Ahrie said.
Millen was charged with Article 127 of the Narcotics Law, which may require that she attend rehabilitation if found guilty of possession and drug use. Police said they will look into the possibility of other parties who might be connected to this case.
Millen has long been a target of transphobia, including from her famous aunt, singer Ashanty. The latter had tried to shame Millen publicly on numerous occasions, including when she pulled her fake eyelashes during a family gathering and posted the video on Instagram for everyone to see.
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