U.S. Strikes Iran Amid Ongoing Tensions
Tensions rise as the U.S. strikes Iran's drone sites. 🌍💥 Will peace ever find its way? 🤔 #WarAndPeace
LGBTQ+ news, rights, politics and culture from Kuwait.

Explore reporting from this country and its place in the wider world.
Tensions rise as the U.S. strikes Iran's drone sites. 🌍💥 Will peace ever find its way? 🤔 #WarAndPeace
Lebanon's ban on the film "Barbie," citing its alleged promotion of homosexuality, triggers debates on LGBTQ+ rights and cultural constraints in the Middle East. The move finds echoes in Kuwait, underscoring evolving attitudes. #LGBTQrights
Australian actor Zoe Terakes has raised their voice against the banning of their recent horror film, "Talk To Me," in Kuwait due to their gender identity. Terakes, a non-binary trans masculine actor, garnered attention as the first openly transgender actor cast in the MCU. The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Kuwait, a conservative Gulf state, has imposed a ban on the film, underscoring the nation's history of censoring or heavily editing films with progressive themes. While the film has had a smooth release in other Gulf territories, Kuwait's ban stands out for targeting an actor's identity rather than the content of the film itself. Terakes portrays the role of Hayley, a party host, with their gender identity unmentioned in the film. Expressing disappointment, Terakes shared their thoughts on Instagram, highlighting the broader pattern of banning films with queer or trans themes in the Gulf region. Terakes clarified that "Talk To Me" doesn't explicitly tackle queer or trans themes, emphasizing that they are an actor, not a theme. The ban, based solely on their identity, sets a concerning precedent. The actor stressed the significance of representation as a source of hope and resilience for marginalized communities. Terakes pointed out that the ban won't erase the existence of trans people and encouraged support for LGBTQ+ initiatives like Rainbow Railroad. The incident highlights the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ individuals in Kuwait and echoes a larger pattern of film censorship in the Middle East. While the ban remains, Terakes' stance sheds light on the power of representation and the continued fight for acceptance and equality on screens worldwide.
Middle East delays release of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie amid LGBTQ+ censorship battle. #BarbieMovie #LGBTQ+ #Censorship
UAE halts 'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse' release amid transgender debate. Controversy ensues over the film's treatment of transgender themes. #UAE #SpiderVerse #Transgender
Disney settles multimillion-dollar compensation deal with Victoria Alonso, fired for LGBTQ+ activism #Disney #MarvelStudios #VictoriaAlonso #LGBTQ
DUBAI (Reuters) - Kuwait's Constitutional Court on Wednesday overturned an article of the penal code criminalising the imitation of the opposite sex, in a move welcomed by Amnesty International as a "major breakthrough…