A gay American couple are facing
deportation from Bali after their tweets calling the resort town in an Indonesian
island ‘queer friendly’, AFP reported.

The controversy gathered steam fast
after Kristen Gray tweeted over the weekend that she was enjoying what she referred
to as “an elevated lifestyle at a much lower cost of living” after
moving out of her Los Angeles residence into the island with her girlfriend.

She described Bali in the tweet as “queer
friendly” and home to a “black in Bali community”.

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Kristen, reportedly, further advertised
her e-book, which tells people ways to bypass regulations that restrict
foreigners from visiting the South-East Asian nation during the coronavirus
pandemic.

Stating she was “suspected of having
intentionally disseminated unsettling information” regarding the country,
as per AFP, justice official Jamaruli Manihuruk added that Gray and her partner
would be sent back to the United States.

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“I am not guilty… I am being
deported because of (being gay),” Gray was quoted as saying following the incident.

Despite not being illegal in most of
Indonesia, same-sex relationships and the LGTBQIA+ community in general has
been facing growing pressures in recent years, in addition to having limited
rights.

Kristen has faced backlash from the
community too, who have stressed upon the fact that “this is not a ‘queer
friendly’ place”.