The media coverage of the launching of Arus Pelangi-Banyumas immediately became a hot topic in the locality. It was the audacity to come out in public as an organization that surprised most people. And when people are surprised, some will react badly, especially those with conservative, religious backgrounds.

The Ka'abah Youth Movement (GPK), a fundamentalist moslem group, soon staged a demonstration against Arus Pelangi-Banyumas, citing various reasons, such as that the organization would spread HIV/AIDS virus, and that it is an affront to Islam. Their key demand was for the local government to ban Arus Pelangi-Banyumas. However, it proved to be a small group with less than 50 people showing up. Still, the local newspapers had their day.

At the end, GPK's demonstration was futil; the local government did not heed their demands. In contrary, the local Department of Health even invited Arus Pelangi-Banyumas to join the program to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS.