Algeria is latest country to ban “Barbie” film because it “promotes homosexuality”

Algeria has banned “Barbie” after it has been shown in theaters in the country for several weeks because the film “promotes homosexuality and other Western deviances,” Reuters reported. An official source told Reuters that the Greta Gerwig billion-dollar box office hit does not “does not comply with Algeria’s religious and cultural beliefs.”

The film has also been banned in Lebanon and Kuwait because it allegedly threats conservative cultural values. Vietnam has also taken an anti-Barbie stance after the country’s officials took issue with the film’s depiction of a map that includes the “nine-dash line,” a controversial U-shaped representation of China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea.

An Algerian news site, 24H Algérie said that since the film’s release, its viewings have been sold out every day even though it has been banned for “damaging morals.” Some Algerians are protesting the ban on social media, posting their grievances along with the hashtag “#IAmBarbie.” Others have denounced the move from the culture ministry as “censorship” and “bigotry.” The culture ministry has full autonomy to block and ban films that do not abide by the country’s values.