'We live here': fears tourist tweets on gay liftyle may backfire on Bali's LGBT muny | Bali | The Guardian

Contents:

• 'WE LIVE HERE': FEARS TOURIST TWEETS ON GAY LIFTYLE MAY BACKFIRE ON BALI'S LGBT MUNY
• INTERVIEW WH GAY COUPLE IS DELETED AFTER BACKLASH INDONIA
• TIPS FOR GAY AND LBIAN TRAVELERS BALI
• GAY BALI

'WE LIVE HERE': FEARS TOURIST TWEETS ON GAY LIFTYLE MAY BACKFIRE ON BALI'S LGBT MUNY

Her scriptn of the island as a welg place for LGBT travellers was among the ments they, a Hdu-majory island and a tourist statn that attracts gay travellers, is nsired more open-md than other areas of Indonia, where discrimatn agast LGBT people is rife. Photograph: Firdia Lisnawati/APLGBT rints on the island, however, do not enjoy the same privileg as visors, said Arya, a program manager at Gaya Dewata Foundatn, an NGO that provis health and tnal servic for LGBT people.

Last year, thori announced they were vtigatg a villa that had marketed self as a statn for gay travellers, wh one official statg at the time that “here Bali we don’t regnise that culture”.

”Homosexualy is legal Indonia, except Aceh provce, but LGBT people lack legal rights and face wispread prejudice. Exorcism and nversn therapy ntue to be imposed upon people, while the Indonian Psychiatrists Associatn (PDSKJI) classifi homosexualy, bisexualy and transsexualism as mental disorrs that n be cured through proper treatment. A study by Pew Rearch Center published 2020 found that only 9% of Indonians agreed that homosexualy should be accepted by has nied any wrongdog relatn to her bs activi, statg that she had not ma money Indonian piah Indonia.

INTERVIEW WH GAY COUPLE IS DELETED AFTER BACKLASH INDONIA

She plead guilty (lk Indonian) and uld spend up to five years jail (pdf) cint is jt one example of the creasgly harsh anti-gay sentiment that is risg throughout Indonia. In the rt of the untry the sentiment has forced multatnal pani to change how they do bs, and some gay cizens to hidg. A gay tourism mecSeptember’s “weddg” was hardly the only same-sex ceremony ever held on the island.

Bali is credibly popular among gay travelers and has one of the most robt gay nightlife scen Asia, plete wh a rowdy gay bar district, and legns of drag shows and go-go dancers. It’s “not only the gay oasis of this very nservative untry, but also a popular gay statn the world, ” wrote Stefan Artis Nomadic Boys, a gay uple’s acunt of travelg across is one of the top 10 LGBT statns Asia-Pacific and Middle East, acrdg to Out Now, a marketg and rearch firm based Holland, and many of the travelers spend thoands of dollars per trip.

Rat range om $320 per night for a one-bedroom duplex to more than $2, 000 for a two-bedroom villa facg a Four SeasonsAs anti-gay sentiment ris Indonia, officials Bali need to ci whether to ban LGBT travel “altogether while acceptg fancial nsequenc of such a cisn, ” Bali Disvery Tours wrote last month, or set enforceable lims on the spe of LGBT bs Bali. ”Growg toleranceHomosexualy is not illegal Indonia, and statistilly has one of the world’s largt gay populatns, sce has the fourth-biggt populatn overall.

TIPS FOR GAY AND LBIAN TRAVELERS BALI

The natn’s gays have even veloped their own that they n feel too fortable. When asked if he was out to his fay and lleagu, a gay man terviewed by Nomadic Boys said: “My fay do not know, and very few of my iends do. Homosexualy is perceived as a s, so you technilly nnot be a Mlim and gay at the same time.

In a 2014 survey the firm asked LGBT travelers Atralia: “When you choose where to travel, to what extent n the legal suatn for lol LGBTI [lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, and tersex] people affect where you ci to go to spend your holiday/vatn? ”Most red about such thgs:But isn’t jt gay travelers themselv who may shun Indonia. ”So far, Indonia’s anti-gay sentiment hasn’t h the tourism dtry.

GAY BALI

The gay mec the nservative untry had over 4 ln foreign visors last year. Wh days, the ernment of one of the world’s most populo natns uld outlaw homosexualy. Yet, when they land their tourist dollars will be fillg the ffers of a Government that punish gay people.

Indonian speaker, Bambang Soatyo, said last week that legislatn was need to curb “homosexual excs, such as murr, HIV/AIDS and paedophilia, “ reports Dtsche new law uld mean gay people are locked up for up to 18 homosexualy has hardly been embraced by our northern neighbour, has nohels never been illegal asi om Aceh, a provce which has enshred elements of sharia law. “In a nuclear war, if a bomb is dropped over Jakarta, Semarang [a cy 500 kms away] will not be affected … but [wh LGBTI rights] everythg we know uld disappear an stant … ’s dangero, ” he said, reported 2017, Aceh, a man acced of same-sex relatns was publicly month, an Atralian based Indonian LGBTI group, Selamat Datang, will march the Sydney Mardi Gras para to raise awarens of an creasgly dranian Jakarta and raise money to create safe ho for gay people.

Yet last month, Google ved to Jakarta’s mands and whdrew a seri of gay datg apps om s onle stor. In a untry not exactly overflowg wh gay bars, apps were a way for the margalised muny to meet.