Kuwait has instituted a ban on the Barbie Movie as Lebanon’s culture minister asked the authorities to censor it for ‘promoting homosexuality and transsexuality.’
After the Lebanese minister’s request to ban the Barbie movie from theatres in their country, Kuwait did the same. Their intention (Kuwait) is to protect the ‘public ethics and social traditions’ in their country.
In addition to that, the Kuwait Ministry of Information said late Wednesday that the film by Warner Brothers “promulgates ideas and beliefs that are alien to Kuwaiti society and public order”. The film has topped $ 1 billion in box office ticket sales since its debut worldwide.
Alongside the Barbie film, they also banned the Australian supernatural horror film, Talk to Me for similar reasons.
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In Lebanon, Mohammed Mortada, The Culture Minister announced that he asked the interior ministry to take all the necessary measures to ban the showing of the Barbie film in their country.
“The film promotes homosexuality and transsexuality… it supports rejecting a father’s guardianship, undermines and ridicules the role of the mother, and questions the necessity of marriage and having a family,” he said.
There has been a growing anti-LGBTQ campaign in Lebanon hence setting precedence for the ban of the film. The campaign is spearheaded by the Hezbollah armed group.
Other places that restricted the film
The film has already been banned in Vietnam due to a scene with a fictitious world map allegedly showing China’s claims in the disputed South China Sea. The Philippines allowed for the filming of the movie. They, however, asked the map of the disputed sea be blurred.
In Punjab, Pakistan’s Province, the release of the film was delayed over “objectionable content.” Though the officials made the statement last month, they did not give any clarification as to what content was objectionable or why.
Barbie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, is the first film by a solo female director to pass the billion-dollar mark. Its release was widely anticipated by the LGBTQ community despite the film lacking overt references to same-sex relationships or any queer themes.
Read Also: Barbie Ranks a $155 Million, Securing the Largest Opening Weekend
