Wicked has reportedly been banned in Kuwait.On Wednesday, December 4, Variety reported that screenings of the film had been removed from cinema listings in the Persian Gulf state ahead of its scheduled December 5 theatrical release. Related Ariana Grande & Cynthia Erivo celebrate the Wicked film as beautifully queer Grande and Erivo say it isnt just Glinda and Elphaba that make the land of Oz a celebration of uniqueness. According to the outlet, local media in Kuwait speculated that the ban was due to the films queer cast members. The film, based on the long-running Broadway musical which in turn was based out author Gregory Maguires 1995 novel, features out actors Cynthia Erivo and Jonathan Bailey in starring roles, as well as Bowen Yang and Marissa Bode in supporting roles. Global perspectives delivered right to your inbox Our newsletter bridges borders to bring you LGBTQ+ news from around the world. Subscribe to our Newsletter today However, as them notes, the Kuwait edition of the Arab Times reported that the decision to ban the film came amid reports that it includes a gay character. On their recent press tour, both Erivo and co-star Ariana Grande, herself a vocal LGBTQ+ ally, have played up the films queerness and appeal to LGBTQ+ audiences. In one interview, Grande suggested that her character, Glinda, might be a little in the closet. Everyone is just so beautifully queer, she added of the characters who populate the Land of Oz in the film. Every day in the Emerald City is a Pride parade.However, despite Grandes take on the film, Wicked features exactly zero explicitly LGBTQ+ characters.Apparently it was because of lesbian and gay portrayals in the movie, Australian entertainment journalist Peter Ford said of the Kuwait ban on Melbourne radio station 3AW. Which, I guess if you look for it you mightve seen it.3AW host Ross Stevensom noted that he took his eight-year-old daughter to see the film and didnt clock any LGBTQ+ content.While Ford described Kuwait as not the most conservative of the Gulf countries, Variety notes that the nation has become one of the strictest in the region when it comes to film censorship. The country banned director Greta Gerwigs Barbie in 2023, claiming that the film promoted ideas and beliefs that are alien to the Kuwaiti society and public order, according to a statement from the state-run KUNA news agency. As them notes, the country also banned the 2023 horror film Talk To Me citing nonbinary and transmasculine actor Zoe Terakess role in the film. Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.