LGBTQ Scene Cut Out of 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' for Kuwait Release
In a move that might surprise no one, Disney and Marvel will edit the highly anticipated sequel "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" to remove moments of LGBTQ affection and other scenes so it can be released in Kuwait, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The scene in question comes between stars Michaela Cole and Florence Kasumba — a "blink-and-you'll-miss-it" moment, as THR calls it, that features Cole kissing Kasumba on the forehead. "Also removed, at the request of censors, was a scene in which a woman gives birth to a child and the line, 'A god to his people,'" THR adds, noting that the total cuts from the movie totals about one minute.
But Kuwait is the only Gulf country to request on cutting "Wakanda Forever." The outlet reports the film will screen unedited in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain and Qatar.
Over the years several movies have been edited to remove LGBQT content from films that are shown in the Gulf, including "Lightyear," "Thor: Love and Thunder," "West Side Story" and more. Billy Eichner's gay romcom "Bros" was not even distributed in the Middle East.
"The decision to remove the scene involving Aneka and Ayo may not come as a surprise to cinemagoers in Kuwait, considered the strictest in the region in terms of censorship and where studios often agree to intimacy edits, even over same-gender relationships," THR adds.