Saudi Authorities Launch LGBT Crackdown And Confiscate Rainbow-Coloured Toys And Clothes

Saudi Arabia has seized rainbow toys for children in their latest effort to crack down on homosexuality.

TV news program Al Ekhbariya posted a video on Twitter that captured officials going through a barrage of children’s products that sported rainbow colours, including plush toys, pencil cases, notebooks, backpacks and clothes.

ABC News reports that an official from the Saudi Commerce Ministry said of the ban: “We are giving a tour of the items that contradict the Islamic faith and public morals and promote homosexual colours targeting the younger generation.”

فيديو | تبريرهم أنها ألوان قوس قزح

ضبط محال في الرياض تبيع ألعابا تروج للمثلية بشكل غير مباشر..

التفاصيل مع مراسلنا عاصم الرشودي#نشرة_النهار#الإخبارية pic.twitter.com/JLibKrIwEc

— قناة الإخبارية (@alekhbariyatv) June 14, 2022

They added that such toys indirectly ‘promote homosexuality’ and corrupt the ‘innocence’ of children while sending ‘poisonous messages’, according to The Washington Post.

The number of toys and establishments targeted has not been revealed and Saudi officials have not spoken to news outlets to provide comment.

The ban is the Saudi’s most recent stance against the LGBTQI+ community after they blocked Pixar’s Lightyear for a theatrical release, which was done because the film contains a same sex kiss between two female characters.

SBS reports that other nations in the Middle East, including The United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar, have also prohibited its release.

Deadline revealed that film has also not received distribution certificates in Bahrain, Egypt, Oman, Malaysia or Indonesia.

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 16th 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 Media Regulatory Office announced that the animated film Lightyear, which is scheduled for release on 16th June, is not licensed for public screening in all cinemas in the UAE, due to its violation of the country’s media content standards. pic.twitter.com/f3iYwXqs1D

— مكتب تنظيم الإعلام (@uaemro) June 13, 2022

They also added that before the release date, every film undergoes an ‘evaluation’ to ensure the content is suitable for the ‘age classification’. 

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, West Side Story and Eternals have also been banned due to Gulf censorship on homosexual themes.

Following the ban, the film’s star, Chris Evans, slammed officials restricting the movie’s cinematic release as ‘idiots’.

“Every time there’s been social advancement as we wake up, the American story, the human story is one of constant social awakening and growth and that’s what makes us good,” he said while speaking with Reuters.

Evans added: “There’s always going to be people who are afraid and unaware and trying to hold on to what was before. But those people die off like dinosaurs.

"I think the goal is to pay them no mind, march forward and embrace the growth that makes us human.”