Lebanon bans Barbie for 'promoting homosexuality'

Lebanon's culture minister moved to ban the film 'Barbie from cinemas saying it "promotes homosexuality" and contradicts religious values.

Minister Mohammad Mortada is backed by powerful Shi'ite armed group Hezbollah, whose head Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has ramped up his rhetoric against the LGBT community, referring in a recent speech to Islamic texts that call for punishing offenders with death. 

Mortada's decision said the film was found to "promote homosexuality and sexual transformation" and "contradicts values of faith and morality" by diminishing the importance of the family unit.

Kuwait followed in Lebanon's footsteps later in the day, saying it had banned "Barbie" and supernatural horror film "Talk to Me" to protect "public ethics and social traditions", the state news agency said. 

Lebanon was the first Arab country to hold a gay pride week in 2017 and has generally been seen as a safe haven for the LGBT community in the broadly conservative Middle East. 

But the issue has come into sharper focus recently, sparking tensions. Mawlawi last year took a decision to ban events "promoting sexual perversion" in Lebanon, understood to refer to LGBT-friendly gatherings. 

In a speech last month, Nasrallah called on Lebanese authorities to take action against materials he deemed to be promoting homosexuality, including by "banning" them.

He said homosexuality posed an "imminent danger" to Lebanon and should be "confronted". In the case of a homosexual act, Nasrallah said in late July, "from the first time, even if he is unmarried, he is killed".

Starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, the movie sends Mattel Inc's doll on an adventure into the real world. The film has topped $1 billion in box office ticket sales worldwide since its 21 July debut.