https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-bali-indonesia-coronavirus-pandemic-graphic-design-cad88d12e86c4bec4297dde2a8085f82DENPASAR, Indonesia (AP) — An American graphic designer is being deported from the Indonesian resort island of Bali over her viral tweets that celebrated it as a low-cost, queer-friendly place for foreigners to live.
Kristen Antoinette Gray arrived in Bali in January 2020 and wound up staying through the coronavirus pandemic. Her posts on Twitter, including comparisons between Bali and Los Angeles and links to buy her e-book, began going viral in Indonesia on Sunday.
Gray’s posts were considered to have “disseminated information disturbing to the public,” which was the basis for her deportation, said Jamaruli Manihuruk, chief of the Bali regional office for the Ministry of Law and Human Rights.
A statement from the office cited her descriptions of Bali providing comfort for LGBT and being easily accessible during the pandemic. It also referenced tweets with links to her e-book, which had direct links to agents who could help foreigners move to the island.
Many Indonesian social media users were furious that she was showing off living and working in Bali without a proper business visa.
Gray and her partner, Saundra Michelle Alexander, are currently in immigration detention while waiting for a flight to the United States.