Kristen Gray and Saundra Alexander. (YouTube/Love Saundra)
As Bali deports American influencer Kristen Antoinette Gray for claiming the island is “queer friendly”, the local LGBT+ community has expressed fears the scandal could backfire on them.
Gray was booted from Bali last week after attempting to promote it as a cheap, LGBT-friendly destination to relocate to in the pandemic.
Homosexuality is not technically illegal on the Hindu-majority island but prejudice and discrimination are common, and locals were quick to point out that the tolerance Gray perceived is down to her privilege as a tourist.
Now that she and her girlfriend have returned to the US, the queer community in Bali are left to deal with the tensions she stirred up.
Social media influencer is deported from Bali for LGBT haven tweets
SHARE Link American graphic designer Kristen Antoinette Gray, center, her partner Saundra Michelle Alexander, right, and lawyer Erwin Siregar arrive at the local immigration office for questioning, in Denpasar.
Photo: AP
A SOCIAL media influencer who promoted Bali as an LGBT-friendly haven to wait out the pandemic is to be deported from Indonesia.
In a series of viral tweets, American Kristen Gray described how she and her girlfriend, Saundra Alexander, were enjoying a low-cost lifestyle in the tourist paradise since they arrived early last year, describing the island as the perfect medicine for a prolonged escape from the pandemic back home.
[UPDATE: Jan 20] The American woman, Kristen Antoinette Gray, will be deported pending the next available flight, Indonesian authorities said in a statement on Tuesday (Jan 19). Her girlfriend, Saundra Michelle Alexander, will be leaving with her. The statement read: “The concerned foreign national is suspected to have done business by selling her e-book and putting up consultation fees on.