According to officials, Kuwait has banned the popular movie “Barbie” from theaters because to worries about “public ethics.” The country has also confirmed a separate ban on the horror film “Talk to Me,” which stars a transgender actor.
According to Lafy Al-Subei’e, head of Kuwait’s cinema censorship committee, “Barbie” and “Talk to Me” both “promulgate ideas and beliefs that are alien to the Kuwaiti society and public order.”
According to Subei’e, who was quoted late on Wednesday, the committee typically requests “censoring of the scenes that run counter to public ethics” when choosing a foreign film.
“But (if) a film carries alien concepts, message or unacceptable behaviour, the committee decides to bar the stuff in question as a whole,” he said.
Films with LGBTQ themes are routinely censored in Gulf Arab nations like Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia—all of which have strict anti-homosexuality laws.
Most recently, in June, they apparently forbade the newest Spider-Man cartoon due to a sequence that featured a transgender pride flag.
Barbie, which has made more over USD 1 billion globally, is currently playing in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates.
Barbie is allegedly “promoting homosexuality” in Lebanon, according to Culture Minister Mohammad Mortada, despite the fact that the movie makes no overt references to same-sex couples or queer themes.
‘Talk to Me’, which is shown in Emirati and Saudi theatres, features Australian transgender actor Zoe Terakes but no explicit LGBTQ references.
“Our film doesn’t have queer themes,” Terakes said in a statement posted on social media on Sunday, after the ban was first reported.
“I am a trans actor who happened to get the role. I’m not a theme. I’m a person,” added Terakes who identifies as non-binary.
