Bali is deporting an American expat after she tweeted about the island as a cheap, LGBTQ-friendly place to live
- Kristen Gray's tweets about expat life in Bali are leading to her deportation, reports say.
- Many felt the American graphic designer's tweets were culturally insensitive and tone-deaf.
- The government claims Gray violated her visa by writing an e-book, which she mentioned in a tweet.
An American expat's tweets on moving to Bali - which she described as an inexpensive, Black- and LGTBQ-friendly place to live - went viral last week.
Now, it appears, those tweets are getting her deported.
Kristen Gray, a graphic designer from Los Angeles, moved to the Indonesian island with her partner in January 2020. Earlier this month, in a series of tweets on her since-locked account, Gray appeared to write about the "elevated lifestyle" she enjoyed in Bali, as well as how "queer-friendly" she felt it was.
Read more: I spent $25 a day while vacationing in Bali. Here's exactly how I did it.
"This island has been amazing because of our elevated lifestyle at much lower cost of living. I was paying $1300 for my LA studio. Now I have a treehouse for $400," she wrote, according to screenshots that purportedly show her tweets.
One of Gray's tweets appeared to plug her $30 "Our Bali Life is Yours" e-book, which could be supplemented with personal consulting for a $50 fee, and was meant to help others achieve her Bali lifestyle, according to the Bali Sun. The e-book gives tips on how to enter Bali despite Indonesia's borders currently being closed to visitors due to the pandemic, how to avoid coronavirus health and safety regulations, and how to circumvent taxes, the Bali Sun reported.
According to the Associated Press (AP), the book also "had direct links to agents who could help foreigners move to the island."
The expat's tweets were originally considered insensitive by locals
Gray's tweets received backlash from people who felt she was flaunting her privilege as an American in Indonesia and encouraging gentrification.
Some felt calling Bali "queer-friendly" is misleading.
One person, who identifies "as a young Indonesian queer woman," wrote: "I was f------ livid at [Gray's] audacity for plugging her tips and tricks on how to cheat the visa system to live an 'elevated' life while I am here stuck in the closet in fear of persecution and struggling to make ends meet."
According to a 2020 Pew Research Center study that surveyed 38,426 people in 34 countries, only 9% of respondents in Indonesia said they believe homosexuality should be accepted.
A 2019 US Department of Labor Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Indonesia cites "violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) persons" as a concern, and that discrimination against LGBTQ individuals continues as antidiscrimination laws don't apply. While the report says that there are no laws against same-sex sexual activity in Indonesia, it writes that "families often put LGBTI minors into therapy, confined them to their homes, or pressured them to marry."
Local news outlet Coconuts Bali reported that LGBTQ Indonesians fear that Gray's tweets will "have deep repercussions for an already persecuted minority group in the country."
Read more: 10 maps showing how different LGBTQ rights are around the world
Gray's comments on her $400 monthly rent and Bali's "lower cost of living" were also perceived as tone-deaf.
The divide between locals and visitors in the country is clear, as the average person in Indonesia earns a monthly wage of $170, according to a December 2020 report by CEIC Data.
Gray maintains she's done nothing wrong while Bali officials say otherwise
The head of the Bali office for the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, Jamaruli Manihuruk, said in a press conference Tuesday that selling an e-book and charging consulting fees was considered doing business, which would violate the terms of Gray's visa. Gray's lawyer told Reuters that she had a social-cultural visa, which does not allow for any sort of business activities or employment.
Manihuruk also accused Gray's posts of having "disseminated information disturbing to the public," which the official said would lead to her deportation, the AP reported.
"She stated that she could provide easy access to Bali through the recommended agency and offered the low living costs in Bali, and that it's comfortable and LGBTQ+ friendly," Manihuruk said at the news conference, according to the AP.
"I'm not guilty," Gray told reporters at the same press conference. "I have not overstayed my visa, I have not made money in Indonesian rupiah in Indonesia. I put out a statement about LGBT, and I've been deported because I'm LGBT."
As of Wednesday, Gray and her partner were awaiting the next flight to the US in an immigration detention center, Reuters reported.
The Ministry of Law and Human Rights, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Gray's lawyer did not respond to Insider's request for comment.
Gray's visa was due to expire on January 24, according to a press release from the Ministry of Law and Human Rights.
In the same press release, the Ministry of Law and Human Rights wrote that foreign nationals "must comply with health protocols and follow the correct procedures for obtaining visas and while in Indonesia."
Indonesia has seen 951,651 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 27,203 related deaths at the time of writing, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. According to ABC News, almost 80% of violations of health and safety regulations in Bali can be traced back to people visiting the island.