Lebanon strikes to ban ‘Barbie’ movie as anti-LGBTQ sentiment rages

By AFP

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s tradition minister stated Wednesday he had requested authorities to ban hit film “Barbie” for purportedly ‘selling homosexuality’, as anti-LGBTQ rhetoric soars in one of many Middle East’s extra liberal international locations.

“It was decided to send a request to Lebanon’s General Security agency to take all necessary measures to ban showing this movie in Lebanon,” Culture Minister Mohammad Mortada stated in an announcement.

The movie ‘promotes homosexuality and transsexuality, helps rejecting a father’s guardianship, undermines and ridicules the position of the mom, and questions the need of marriage and having a household,” he stated.

The movie, which has topped $1 billion in world revenues, was as a result of be screened in Lebanese cinemas from August 31.

Though it was extensively anticipated by LGBTQ communities worldwide, the movie doesn’t include any overt references to same-sex relationships or queer themes.

Lebanon’s transfer comes amid a rising anti-LGBTQ marketing campaign, spearheaded by Lebanon’s highly effective Iran-backed Hezbollah motion, and as LGBTQ activists have been pushing to decriminalise same-sex relations.

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah has known as for a boycott of rainbow merchandise and stated final month that homosexual folks, “even if they do it once, are to be killed”.

While Lebanon is mostly thought of extra tolerant of sexual range than different Arab international locations, the police frequently raid homosexual bars and different LGBTQ-friendly areas.

Lebanese regulation at present permits courts to punish ‘unnatural’ sexual relations with as much as one 12 months in jail.

The nation’s LGBTQ group in 2018 scored successful when a courtroom dominated that same-sex conduct was not illegal, however since then it has seen extra setbacks than victories.

Last 12 months, a crackdown noticed activists harassed and Pride gatherings cancelled after the inside ministry instructed safety forces to clamp down on occasions “promoting sexual perversion”.

The ministry argued that LGBTQ occasions violated customs, traditions and “principles of religion” in Lebanon, the place political energy is cut up between Shiite and Sunni Muslim, Christian, Druze and different teams.

“Barbie” has been banned in Vietnam over a scene with a fictitious world map criticised for allegedly displaying China’s claims within the disputed South China Sea.

The Philippines allowed the movie to be proven, however requested that the map be blurred.

The movie’s launch was delayed in Pakistan’s Punjab province over ‘objectionable content material’, officers stated final month, although they didn’t make clear which content material was ‘objectionable’, nor why.

READ MORE: ‘Barbie’ film evaluation: Fiercely feminist and subliminally self-aware

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s tradition minister stated Wednesday he had requested authorities to ban hit film “Barbie” for purportedly ‘selling homosexuality’, as anti-LGBTQ rhetoric soars in one of many Middle East’s extra liberal international locations.

“It was decided to send a request to Lebanon’s General Security agency to take all necessary measures to ban showing this movie in Lebanon,” Culture Minister Mohammad Mortada stated in an announcement.

The movie ‘promotes homosexuality and transsexuality, helps rejecting a father’s guardianship, undermines and ridicules the position of the mom, and questions the need of marriage and having a household,” he stated.googletag.cmd.push(operate() googletag.show(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); );

The movie, which has topped $1 billion in world revenues, was as a result of be screened in Lebanese cinemas from August 31.

Though it was extensively anticipated by LGBTQ communities worldwide, the movie doesn’t include any overt references to same-sex relationships or queer themes.

Lebanon’s transfer comes amid a rising anti-LGBTQ marketing campaign, spearheaded by Lebanon’s highly effective Iran-backed Hezbollah motion, and as LGBTQ activists have been pushing to decriminalise same-sex relations.

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah has known as for a boycott of rainbow merchandise and stated final month that homosexual folks, “even if they do it once, are to be killed”.

While Lebanon is mostly thought of extra tolerant of sexual range than different Arab international locations, the police frequently raid homosexual bars and different LGBTQ-friendly areas.

Lebanese regulation at present permits courts to punish ‘unnatural’ sexual relations with as much as one 12 months in jail.

The nation’s LGBTQ group in 2018 scored successful when a courtroom dominated that same-sex conduct was not illegal, however since then it has seen extra setbacks than victories.

Last 12 months, a crackdown noticed activists harassed and Pride gatherings cancelled after the inside ministry instructed safety forces to clamp down on occasions “promoting sexual perversion”.

The ministry argued that LGBTQ occasions violated customs, traditions and “principles of religion” in Lebanon, the place political energy is cut up between Shiite and Sunni Muslim, Christian, Druze and different teams.

“Barbie” has been banned in Vietnam over a scene with a fictitious world map criticised for allegedly displaying China’s claims within the disputed South China Sea.

The Philippines allowed the movie to be proven, however requested that the map be blurred.

The movie’s launch was delayed in Pakistan’s Punjab province over ‘objectionable content material’, officers stated final month, although they didn’t make clear which content material was ‘objectionable’, nor why.

READ MORE: ‘Barbie’ film evaluation: Fiercely feminist and subliminally self-aware