Riyadh: Disney has refused Saudi Arabia's request to cut the "LGBTQ references" from 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' ahead of its screening in the kingdom, an official said.
The film has not been officially banned yet, but The Guardian reports that if the cuts are not made the film will not be allowed to screen in the country.
However, Disney has declined the requested edits to the Doctor Strange sequel, which is slated to be released around the world next week. The cuts amount to “barely 12 seconds” in which a lesbian character, America Chavez, played by the actor Xochitl Gomez, refers to her “two moms”, The Guardian quoted Nawaf Alsabhan, Saudi Arabia's general supervisor of cinema classification as saying.
He further said, "It's just her talking about her moms, because she has two moms. And being in the Middle East, it's very tough to pass something like this. We sent it to the distributor, and the distributor sent it to Disney, and Disney has told us they are not willing."
According to The Guardian, homosexuality is a capital offence in Saudi Arabia, known for its strict interpretation of Islamic sharia law, which forms the basis of its judicial system. (Inputs from UNI)