Lebanon, Kuwait Poised to Ban ‘Barbie’ for Promoting Homosexuality
variety.comPatrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Lebanon, once thought of as among the most liberal parts of the Middle East, is poised to ban global hit movie “Barbie.” More conservative Kuwait said Wednesday that it had gone ahead with a ban due to its promotion of homosexuality.
Lebanon’s culture minister Mohammad Mortada said on Wednesday that the Warner Bros. film was found to “promote homosexuality and sexual transformation” and “contradicts values of faith and morality” by diminishing the importance of the family unit. “Based on Mortada’s move, Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi in turn asked General Security’s censorship committee, which falls under the interior ministry and is traditionally responsible for censorship decisions, to review the film and give its recommendation,” the Reuters news agency reported.Variety has reached out to Warner Bros.
for comment. The film was originally scheduled to debut in the Middle East on July 19, two days before landing in the rest of the world’s multiplexes.
It now looks to go ahead in some Middle East markets, including the biggest Saudi Arabia, at the end of August. The release date was initially moved to Aug.
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