Lebanon’s Culture Minister Moves to Ban ‘Barbie’ Film for ‘Promoting Homosexuality’ (Report)

Lebanon’s culture minister has made a move to ban the Barbie movie from being screened in the country.

On Wednesday, Mohammad Mortada said that the hit film “promoted homosexuality” and contradicted values related to faith and morality, according to Reuters. 

Per the outlet, Mortada published a decision asking Lebanon’s General Security agency — responsible for censorship decisions in the Mediterranean country — to take the necessary action to stop the movie from being screened.

In an interview with British LBGTQ magazine Attitude ahead of the film’s release, Margot Robbie, who plays Barbie, responded to fan theories that Ken is gay.

“It is [inclusive] but they are all dolls. So, they don’t have actually have sexual orientations because they don’t have any reproductive organs, we figured,” said Robbie, 33, who also served as a producer.

Muhammad Mortada.

ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty

Everything to Know About the ‘Barbie’ Movie

The star also revealed that representation was something she and her fellow producers were conscious of during the casting process and they focused more on “what energy they [the actors] brought to it as opposed to, like, trying to tick specific boxes.”

“We wanted Barbie Land to feel incredibly inclusive,” she continued. “And we wanted this film to feel like everyone was welcome. So, it was so important that, kind of, every person that was, like, coming aboard the party would be able to represent someone else that could be watching this movie.”

Along with Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken, the film also stars a host of LGBTQ+ actors, including Scott Evans, Alexandra Shipp and Hari Nef. 

Kingsley Ben-Adir, Ryan Gosling and Ncuti Gatwa as Kens in the Barbie movie.

Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures

‘Barbie’ Reaches $1 Billion at Worldwide Box Office 2 Weeks After Release

And Lebanon isn’t the only country that has a problem with the Barbie movie. The film was banned in Vietnam last month over a cartoon-style world map.

According to Reuters, Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced it was revoking the movie’s license ahead of its scheduled release in the country on July 21.

In the scene at Weird Barbie’s house, Robbie’s Barbie stands in front of a map of the South China Sea, which China claims almost entirely as its own, according to Today, The colorful map shows a backward S-shaped “nine-dash line” that illustrates the country’s territorial claim over the body of water.

Barbies in the Barbie movie.

Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

However, China’s claim on the South China Sea has been rejected by international law and is disputed by many Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam. The country considers large amounts of the sea its continental shelf, per Today.

Since its release, the Greta Gerwig-directed film has continued to smash records and most recently it reached $1 billion at the worldwide box office.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education