Featured Image Credit: Saudi Ministry Of Commerce
Topics: World News, Saudi Arabia
Jake Massey
Saudi Arabia has banned rainbow-coloured toys and clothes for 'promoting homosexuality'.
A report on state TV station Al Ekhbariya showed commerce ministry officials removing such items from shops in the capital, Riyadh.
In the video, an official said the products 'contradict the Islamic faith and public morals, and promote homosexual colours targeting the younger generation'.
In a tweet, the commerce ministry said: "Our supervisory teams carry out rounds of sales outlets, seize and confiscate products that contain symbols and indications that call for anomalies and contradict normal common sense, and impose legal penalties on violating facilities."
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Homosexuality is prohibited in the country and consensual same-sex sexual conduct is punishable by death or flogging.
The ban is the country's most recent stance against the LGBTQ+ community after they blocked the theatrical release of Pixar's Lightyear because the film contains a same sex kiss between two female characters.
Last week, the UEA issued a statement that read: "The Media Regulatory Office announced that the animated film Lightyear, which is scheduled for release on 16 June, is not licensed for public screening in all cinemas in the UAE, due to its violation of the country's media content standards."
The illegality of homosexuality across the Gulf means that films which feature LGBTQ+ references often fail to get past censors.
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Before this, Doctor Strange was also prohibited for this reason, much to the disappointment of star Benedict Cumberbatch.
He told the PA news agency: "It's difficult not to become emotional about it, to be honest. But it is, I'm afraid, an expected disappointment.
"We've come to know from those repressive regimes that their lack of tolerance is exclusionary to people who deserve to be not only included but celebrated for who they are, and made to feel a part of a society and a culture and not punished for their sexuality.
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"It feels truly out of step with everything that we've experienced as a species, let alone where we're at globally as a culture.
"But frankly, it's just even more reason why this isn't tokenism to include an LGBTQ+ community member."
He added: "This character is from the comics, it's not something we've created for the sake of diversity. We've included her because of how awesome she is as a character. And that's just one aspect of her character. And that's all it should be.
"But sadly, it's also now politically very charged, and I wish it wasn't, I wish it was… a normalised conversation about this where it wasn't an issue, but it's not so we still have to fight, we still have to push for inclusion and equality and I'm very glad in a small way but on a very big canvas, Marvel and Disney are doing that."
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If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the LGBT Foundation on 0345 3 30 30 30, 10am–6pm Monday to Friday, or email [email protected]