Disney rejects to cut LGBTQ scene in ‘Doctor Strange 2,’ says Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has denied the reports that Marvel’s upcoming film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has been banned in the country due to the LGBTQ references.

While an official from the Middle-Eastern nation has recently clarified that they are still trying to negotiate with the film’s production house, Disney and Marvel have decline to cut the sequence from the upcoming film.

According to The Guardian the 12-seconds featuring America Chavez, a lesbian character, mentioning her “two moms” has been flagged to be taken out.

“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,” Nawaf Alsabhan, general supervisor of cinema classification in Saudi Arabia, said to Agence France-Presse.

“We sent it to the distributor, and the distributor sent it to Disney, and Disney has told us they are not willing,” he added.

Alsabhan further stated that, “There’s no reason to ban the film. It’s a simple edit – so far they have refused. But we haven’t closed the door. We’re still trying.”

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is slated to release on May 6 worldwide.

Previously, similar demands were made of last year’s Eternals, which also included a gay couple. When Disney declined, the sic-fi movie didn’t release in Saudi Arabia.