Authorities in Saudi Arabia have confiscated any rainbow-colored toys and clothing to promote homosexuality, according to Saudi state television.
Key points:
- Ministry of Commerce images show stacks of rainbow colored items being examined
- Officials said the articles promote gay colors aimed at the younger generation
- Saudi Arabia has been gaining headlines for restrictions on films depicting or referring to sexual minorities
The confiscation took place in the capital Riyadh, where a report by Al-Ekhbariya showed that trade ministry officials were removing a number of items from stores.
Items that have been pointed out in recent raids include rainbow-colored bows, skirts, hats, and cases, most of which are apparently made for young children.
“We take a look at articles that contradict the Islamic faith and public morality and promote homosexual colors aimed at the younger generation,” said a trade ministry official involved in the campaign.
Recent raids included bows, skirts, hats, cases, and rainbow-colored bags. (Provided by: Saudi Ministry of Commerce)
Saudi Arabia opened up to tourism in 2019, but, like other Gulf countries, regularly draws scrutiny for its human rights record, including a ban on homosexuality, a possible capital crime.
The number of targeted establishments or items confiscated in the Ministry of Commerce operation is unclear, and Saudi officials did not respond to a request for comment from AFP.
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Rainbow raids occur when Saudi Arabia wins headlines for restrictions on films that depict or even refer to sexual minorities.
In April, the kingdom said it had asked Disney to cut the “LGBTQ references” from the Marvel Doctor Strange movie in the Multiverse of Madness, but that Disney had refused.
Saudi regulators opposed a scene that took “just 12 seconds,” in which a character refers to his two mothers.
An official told AFP at the time that the government was trying to work with Disney to find a solution, but in the end, the film was not shown in Saudi cinemas.
Disney’s latest animated film, Lightyear, which includes a kiss between people of the same sex, has also been banned in Saudi Arabia and more than a dozen other countries, he told AFP. source close to Disney.
Riyadh has not commented on this film, but it has not appeared in the upcoming major cinema attractions.
Saudi Arabia lifted a decades-old ban on all cinemas in late 2017, part of a series of social reforms led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that are shaking the deeply conservative kingdom.
Since then, the country has experienced significant growth in movie ticket sales, with revenue of $ 238 million in 2021, 95% more than the previous year, Variety magazine reported in January.
AFP / ABC