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Saudi wants 'LGBTQ references' in Doctor Strange movie cut

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Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="A still from " Doctor="" Strange="" in="" the="" Multiverse="" of="" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/overseas/04/26/strange.jpg"/><figcaption>A still from &#x27;Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness&#x27;. <em>Handout</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>RIYADH - Saudi Arabia has asked Disney to cut &quot;LGBTQ references&quot; from its latest Marvel superhero movie before it can be screened in the kingdom, an official told AFP on Monday.</p><p>Disney has so far declined the requested edits to the film &quot;Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness&quot;, slated for release in early May, that amount to &quot;barely 12 seconds&quot; in which a lesbian character, America Chavez, refers to her &quot;two moms&quot;, said Nawaf Alsabhan, Saudi Arabia&#x27;s general supervisor of cinema classification. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/04/08/22/new-doctor-strange-trailer-confirms-wandas-new-adventure">New ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ trailer confirms Wanda’s new adventure</a></li></ul><p>&quot;It&#x27;s just her talking about her moms, because she has two moms. And being in the Middle East, it&#x27;s very tough to pass something like this,&quot; Alsabhan said.</p><p>&quot;We sent it to the distributor, and the distributor sent it to Disney, and Disney has told us they are not willing&quot; to make the requested changes, Alsabhan added.</p><p>But he disputed reports the movie had been banned outright. </p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s never banned. It will never be banned. There&#x27;s no reason to ban the film. It&#x27;s a simple edit... So far they have refused. But we haven&#x27;t closed the door. We&#x27;re still trying,&quot; he said.</p><p>Asked Monday about the film, which stars Benedict Cumberbatch, an employee for AMC Cinemas in Saudi Arabia said it had been &quot;withdrawn&quot;.</p><p>Saudi Arabia lifted a decades-long ban on all cinemas in late 2017, part of a series of social reforms spearheaded by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that are shaking up the deeply conservative kingdom. </p><p>The country has since seen significant growth in movie ticket sales, with revenues totaling $238 million in 2021, a 95-percent increase from the previous year, Variety magazine reported in January.</p><p>Homosexuality is a potential capital offence in Saudi Arabia, known for its strict interpretation of Islamic sharia law which forms the basis of its entire judicial system. </p><p>The dust-up over &quot;Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness&quot; is not the first time a Marvel movie has run into trouble with Saudi regulators. </p><p>The Hollywood Reporter reported last November that &quot;Eternals&quot;, which features a gay couple, similarly prompted edit requests from Gulf countries including Saudi Arabia that Disney refused to make. The film ultimately did not screen in Saudi Arabia.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/12/02/21/movie-review-marvel-goes-meditative-in-eternals">Movie review: Marvel goes meditative in &#x27;Eternals&#x27;</a></li></ul><p>Disney&#x27;s stance on LGBTQ rights has attracted controversy in the US, where the governor of the state of Florida on Friday signed a law that eliminates a statute that has for decades allowed Disney to act as a local government in Orlando, home of the &quot;Disney World&quot; theme park. </p><p>The move was the latest episode in a dispute with Florida officials after the company criticized the passage in March of a law banning school lessons on sexual orientation.</p><div><strong>rcb/hc</strong></div><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1bCTzbCxcoU?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

Saudi Arabia has asked Disney to cut 'LGBTQ references' from its latest Marvel superhero movie before it can be screened in the kingdom.