The Barbie backlash has begun, as some countries have banned the movie claiming it "contradicts values of faith and morality" and promotes "homosexuality and sexual transformation.".Lebanese culture minister Mohammad Mortada said Kuwait has banned the film Barbie in a bid to protect "public ethics and social traditions.".Mortada said he believes the film is diminishing the importance of the family unit..Mortada said he believes the storyline of the box office headliner supports rejecting a "father's guardianship, undermines and ridicules the role of the mother." He also said the film questions the necessity of marriage and having a family..He then called on Lebanese authorities to "ban" the film and said homosexuality posed an "imminent danger" to Lebanon and should be "confronted.".Mortada said he believes Lebanese authorities must take action against materials he deemed to be "promoting homosexuality.".The film was due in Lebanon's cinemas on Aug. 31..Ayman Mhanna, executive director at the non-profit civic Samir Kassir Foundation (a non-profit organization which promotes democracy and human rights in Lebanon and across the Arab world), told Reuters that Mortada's move came amid "a wave of bigotry"..Mhanna said: "This is part of a broader campaign that is bringing together Hezbollah, the Christian far right, and other top religious leaders in a focused campaign against LGBT people.".While Lebanon fusses, the film has been widely embraced by the sexual minority community worldwide, as well as by Canada's prime minister..Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently took in the film with his son.."We’re team Barbie," Trudeau tweeted, posting a picture of his son and himself dressed in pink and smiling before they saw the movie..Meanwhile, Barbie has also been banned in Vietnam over a scene featuring a map..The map actually shows China's unilaterally claimed territory in the South China Sea. The same scene featured a blurred-out map of the Philippines..“The map in Barbie Land is a child-like crayon drawing,” a spokesperson for the Warner Bros. Film Group told Variety..“The doodles depict Barbie’s make-believe journey from Barbie Land to the ‘real world.’ It was not intended to make any type of statement.”.Barbie has exceeded box-office expectations already, hitting US$1 billion in box-office revenues three weeks after it was released..Representatives for Warner Bros. would not comment on plot points of the film.
The Barbie backlash has begun, as some countries have banned the movie claiming it "contradicts values of faith and morality" and promotes "homosexuality and sexual transformation.".Lebanese culture minister Mohammad Mortada said Kuwait has banned the film Barbie in a bid to protect "public ethics and social traditions.".Mortada said he believes the film is diminishing the importance of the family unit..Mortada said he believes the storyline of the box office headliner supports rejecting a "father's guardianship, undermines and ridicules the role of the mother." He also said the film questions the necessity of marriage and having a family..He then called on Lebanese authorities to "ban" the film and said homosexuality posed an "imminent danger" to Lebanon and should be "confronted.".Mortada said he believes Lebanese authorities must take action against materials he deemed to be "promoting homosexuality.".The film was due in Lebanon's cinemas on Aug. 31..Ayman Mhanna, executive director at the non-profit civic Samir Kassir Foundation (a non-profit organization which promotes democracy and human rights in Lebanon and across the Arab world), told Reuters that Mortada's move came amid "a wave of bigotry"..Mhanna said: "This is part of a broader campaign that is bringing together Hezbollah, the Christian far right, and other top religious leaders in a focused campaign against LGBT people.".While Lebanon fusses, the film has been widely embraced by the sexual minority community worldwide, as well as by Canada's prime minister..Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently took in the film with his son.."We’re team Barbie," Trudeau tweeted, posting a picture of his son and himself dressed in pink and smiling before they saw the movie..Meanwhile, Barbie has also been banned in Vietnam over a scene featuring a map..The map actually shows China's unilaterally claimed territory in the South China Sea. The same scene featured a blurred-out map of the Philippines..“The map in Barbie Land is a child-like crayon drawing,” a spokesperson for the Warner Bros. Film Group told Variety..“The doodles depict Barbie’s make-believe journey from Barbie Land to the ‘real world.’ It was not intended to make any type of statement.”.Barbie has exceeded box-office expectations already, hitting US$1 billion in box-office revenues three weeks after it was released..Representatives for Warner Bros. would not comment on plot points of the film.
