In this paper, I argue that non-governmental organizations (NGOs) strategically engage in heterogeneous informal lobbying practices with respect to social identities. I investigate this theoretical claim by examining lobbying campaigns by various NGOs in Indonesia supporting a high-priority bill dedicated to the eradication of sexual violence. Indonesia provides an interesting and data-rich case for two principal reasons: the sitting Jokowi government’s policy of engagement with NGOs in the legislative process and the complex web of social and professional connections that motivate lobbying across numerous channels ranging from the completely private to the completely public. I find that the bill’s advocates believe that men (and highly conservative women) respond to specific words, phrases, and lines of reasoning differently than other women. These beliefs influence both the language used and the people sent to lobby representatives. I find that even staff of ideological NGOs tend to select the frames they use based on the intersecting religious and gender identities of government officials or legislators being courted. In a similar manner, NGOs select representatives for these meetings after considering government officials’ religious and gender identities. To establish this case, I conduct case interviews with members of major organizations involved in the legislative process, as well as members of adjacent organizations, government ministries, and legislative staff. I also engaged in participant-observation in lobbyists’ strategy meetings and anti-sexual harassment trainings in schools and the police force.
