Lebanon set to ban Barbie for “promoting homosexuality”

The country of Lebanon is set to ban Greta Gerwig’s Barbie on the grounds that the movie promotes ideas of homosexuality.

There’s a lot one can say about Greta Gerwig’s powerhouse film Barbie: it made over a billion dollars at the office, it’s a great piece of feminist media, it has one of the best ear worms of the year so far.

However, it seems like some people are claiming that the movie has a hidden agenda and is promoting ideas that don’t align with their religious views.

For instance, the country of Lebanon is getting rid to ban the movie as a whole as they believe it’s trying to promote hidden messages and ideas within it.

Lebanon tries to ban Barbie over homosexuality

Lebanon’s culture minister Mohammad Mortada has claimed that Barbie was found to “promote homosexuality and sexual transformation” and “contradicts values of faith and morality” by diminishing the importance of the family unit, per Variety.

Mortada went on to defend his stance on banning the movie, stating: “The film goes against moral and religious values in Lebanon, as it encourages perversity and gender transformation while calling for the rejection of patriarchy and ridiculizing the role of mothers.”

Warner Bros.

Based on Mortada’s words, Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi then asked the 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 on banning it.

Barbie was set to release in the Middle East around August 10, but now the date has been pushed back as local censors suggest edits that allegedly pertain to the LGBTQ-related narration and dialogue found in Barbie.

The Barbie movie is in cinemas worldwide now. Check out our other coverage below:

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• Is the new Barbie movie for kids?
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• Barbie banned in Vietnam over infamous “nine dash line”
• Barbie movie cast: All actors and characters