Lebanon moves to ban Barbie for ‘promoted homosexuality’

An official in Lebanon has moved to ban Barbie from screening in the country, arguing that it promotes homosexuality.

Barbie was released in July and sees Margot Robbie star as the iconic doll as she goes on an adventure.

Mohammad Mortada, Lebanon’s culture minister, is reported to have said the film “promote[s] homosexuality and sexual transformation” as per The Guardian.

It also “contradicts values of faith and morality,” as reported by the paper. Mortada is also said to have asked the interior ministry to stop the film from screening in the Arabic country.

Homosexuality is illegal in Lebanon and punishable with up to a year in prison. Kuwait has also announced a ban on Barbie screenings for similar reasons.

“An opportunity to celebrate, you know, what they may have been shunned for celebrating in the past”

Barbie has now made over $1 billion in box office sales. It is the second film to make the accomplishment this year after The Super Mario Bros.

Before its release, the film attracted a large queer fanbase. While the film promotes an accepting and idealistic version of the world in the fictional Barbie Land, it stops short of explicitly promoting queerness.

This is despite what one of the film’s stars, Simu Liu, told Attitude. Speaking to Attitude exclusively ahead of Barbie‘s release, Liu said the film was a “celebration of queerness.”

Expanding on that, Liu’s co-star, Issa Rae, said Barbie is “an opportunity to celebrate, you know, what they may have been shunned for celebrating in the past” for queer people.

There are queer coded characters, namely Allan, but even then they are not explicitly queer.

Robbie even went as far as to tell Attitude that there are no gay Kens as “they don’t have actually have sexual orientations.” However, she did go on to say that the film’s creatives wanted the film to feel “inclusive.”

Barbie is in UK cinemas now.