Kuwait has banned the release of the world hit “Barbie” in its cinemas for “undermining public morals,” authorities in the very conservative Gulf oil state said on Thursday.
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Several major American productions have been met with turmoil in the Middle East in recent months as gay and transgender visibility increases in Hollywood.
“The broadcasting of the films ‘Barbie’ and ‘Talk Two Me’ were banned,” said Lafi Subaïei, chairman of the film censorship committee, of the official Kuna news agency.
This body, linked to the Ministry of Media, aims to “ban anything that undermines public morals, public order and traditions by introducing foreign ideas into society,” he said.
Before making their decision, the authorities had requested the “removal of certain obscene scenes that encourage unacceptable behavior,” he said, without giving details of the passages in question.
With “Barbie” surpassing $1 billion at the global box office, Kuwaiti censorship applies to “any film that goes against the values and traditions of our society,” the official said.
On Wednesday, Lebanon’s culture minister announced that he had called for the ban on “Barbie” because it “promotes homosexuality,” amid rising anti-LGBT+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other) rhetoric. in one of the most liberal countries in the Middle East.
Kuwait’s main distribution partner announced the official ban on “Talk to me” on Monday. The Australian horror film stars Zoe Terakes, a transgender actress who identifies as non-binary but makes no explicit reference to the LGBT+ movement. In social networks, Zoé Terakes described this decision as “dehumanizing” and “targeted”.
Elsewhere in the Gulf, “Barbie” and “Talk to Me” are currently showing in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. However, these two countries had also banned films containing LGBT+ references. In June, the animated film Spider-Man was banned there for allegedly showing a transgender flag in a scene.
Barbie is still not airing in Qatar, however, the country has not made any official announcement on the matter.