Saudi Arabia says Disney refusing to edit out lesbian reference in ‘Doctor Strange’ film

Saudi Arabia said Disney is refusing to edit out a roughly 12-second clip with an LGBT reference in Marvel’s upcoming “Multiverse of Madness” film.

The film, “Multiverse of Madness,” stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange in the sequel to his character’s 2016 origin story that is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe owned by Disney.

The film is slated for a May 6 release in the U.S.

Saudi Arabia has taken issue with the film because of a lesbian character named America Chavez, who is played by Xochitl Gomez, according to the Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Nawaf Alsabhan, Saudi Arabia’s general supervisor of cinema classification, told the AFP the controversy surrounds a comment from Gomez’s character, who refers to her “two moms” in a clip that is “barely 12 seconds long.”

“Being in the Middle East, it’s very tough to pass something like this,” Alsabhan said.

Alsabhan said Saudi Arabia requested the clip be edited out, but Disney refused. The country has not banned the film and is “still trying” to get it approved. Alsabhan told the AFP the film will “never be banned.”

Another Marvel film, “The Eternals,” was blocked in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait when it was released in November after Disney refused to make edits to the film. The movie includes a homosexual relationship between two men who share a kiss in the movie.

Qatar and Kuwait reportedly blocked the film because of its depiction of gods.

However, Disney has capitulated before. The company edited out a same-sex kiss in “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” in 2019 so the film could be shown in certain countries in the Middle East.

Saudi Arabia lifted a 35-year ban on cinema showings at theaters in early 2018. The ban had been in place for religious objections.