Woman deported after bragging about good life in Bali
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The now-deleted Twitter thread faced backlash and was called an example of ‘foreigner privilege’
After facing backlash for a viral Twitter thread about moving to Bali, a Black woman is officially being deported.
A Black American woman has faced backlash on Twitter after posting about relocating to Bali, Indonesia. In a now-deleted thread, Kristin Grey tweeted on January 16, 2020, about how moving to Bali with her girlfriend was a “game-changer.”
She explains she had a tough 2019 in America and struggled to find work or pay her bills, leading her and her girlfriend to buy a one-way flight to Bali. She wrote in the thread, “the island has been amazing because of our elevated lifestyle at a much lower cost of living.”
She goes on to detail how she built her own business, only pays $400 in rent compared to the $1,300 she was paying in Los Angeles, and even highlights the positive experiences she’s had as a Black queer woman compared to her American experience.
The thread went viral and was hit with some major backlash shortly after it was posted. Twitter users quickly highlighted the issue of gentrification and foreigner privilege in the replies.
One user wrote, “How have you ensured that moving to Bali and encouraging others to do so isn’t contributing to gentrification? (i.e., raising prices so natives aren’t kicked out/forcing Balinese to learn English as opposed to ex-pats learning Bahasa, etc.?).”
Now it is being reported that Grey is being deported from Bali. A video surfaced on Twitter of Grey professing her innocence. She continues to explain this happened after her statement about LGBTQ.
After an investigation, it was found that Grey violated several regulations and is now subject to deportation. A statement from Jamaruli Manihuruk, head of the Bali office for the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, reads, “The concerned foreign national is suspected to have done business by selling her e-book and putting up consultation fees on traveling to Bali, which means she can be subject to sanctions according to the 2011 Immigration Law.”
An essay in Coconuts Bali broke down the problematic nature of the original tweet thread, explaining, “The thread was problematic for a variety of reasons, including the irresponsible labeling of Bali as “queer-friendly” despite the fact that members of the LGBTQ community in Indonesia live in fear of persecution and are targeted by authorities and conservative groups.”
It continued, “Her idea of ‘low cost of living’ also points to a deeply entrenched issue that shouldn’t be brushed off when talking about tourism in Bali, where a US $400 rent is affordable for a visiting foreigner but the provincial minimum wage is only about US$177.”
According to Coconuts Bali, Grey is currently detained at the Immigration Detention Center in Denpasar.
Now, there’s a growing fear among LGBT Indonesians that the turn of events may have deep repercussions for an already persecuted minority group in the country.
Gray’s tweets were problematic for many reasons, as the conditions she gushes about highlighted multilayered problems in Indonesia, such as over-tourism and immigration. The reasons for her eventual deportation are also multifold, as officials deemed that she has violated a number of regulations, including the purpose of her stay permit, and “spreading information that could unsettle the public.”
The unsettling information, officials say, include her suggestion that Bali is queer-friendly, which Gray had listed on Twitter as one of the benefits of living on the island.
“I am not guilty. 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’m being deported because of LGBT,” Gray said to local reporters the day before yesterday.
While homosexuality is technically legal in Indonesia (with the exception of conservative Aceh with its strict Islamic laws), there has been a disturbing rise in persecution against LGBT individuals in recent years, which international NGO Human Rights Watch labeled as an “anti-LGBT moral panic” in 2018.
Social psychologist Benny Siauw warned that Gray’s statement mentioning Bali as a queer-friendly place might have a negative ripple effect for Indonesian queers, especially now that it is used by officials as one of the reasons to deport her.
He cited a survey conducted by US-based Pew Research Center published last year, which found that only around 9 percent of Indonesians say homosexuality should be accepted.
“So, where should Indonesian queers go to if this leads to future homophobic persecutions?” Benny said.
While Bali is indeed recognized for being more tolerant than the rest of Indonesia, the province is far from fully accepting queerness, according to singer-songwriter Kai Mata, who’s one of the few Indonesians who have dared to go public about their sexuality in the country.
“I wish these statements of Bali being queer-friendly was reality … Indonesian culture at large heavily shames those who are LGBTQ+, equating our love to a mental illness that needs to be cured or prayed away,” Kai said.
“Bali seems to just barely tolerate queer foreigners and Indonesians, as if it’s a generous gift to allow us existence, so long as we do so quietly and in the shadows.”
Kai, who lives in Bali and has faced death threats for being openly queer in Indonesia, explains that Gray may have benefited from the limited circle she spent time with in the one year she was there.
“I do worry this case with Gray is building a stronger presence of anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment in Bali and Indonesia,” Kai said.
What may have been intended as an inspiring guide has turned into a convoluted story that is also worthy of the ensuing debate. However, Gray’s is also a story of one arguably privileged foreigner who recklessly glamorized what living in Bali is like, possibly at the expense of safety and future of queer Indonesians.
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