A gay man and a transvestite were chosen as envoys for AIDS treatment in Bali during a contest organized by Gaya Dewata Foundation on Saturday.

Surya Tan and Ella Wasabi were crowned as the Raka and Rai couple during the contest, in which 12 couples of gay men and transvestites competed.

Surya is a gay man who has worked at a beauty salon for oneand-half years and has actively participated in the foundation. Ella, a transvestite, also works at a beauty salon.

The contest, the first the foundation has held in five years, was attended by 1,000 people, and was reportedly the merriest since a similar Raka and Rai pageant in 1996.

Surya won the contest after he managed to answer the juries' questions on how HIV spreads and about activities that could not transmit the infection.