Saudi Arabia Says Disney Refusing to Cut Gay References in 'Doctor Strange 2'

After reports that the sequel to "Doctor Strange," "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," has been banned in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations, the Saudi Arabian government has released a statement clarifying the status of the film.

For starters, the film isn't banned ... yet says Nawaf Alsabhan, Saudi Arabia's general supervisor of cinema classification.

As reported by IndieWire, he told The Guardian that Disney is refusing to remove less than "12 seconds" of LGBTQ references in the film. All those cuts have to do with the film's lesbian character America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) and references to her "two moms."

"It's just her talking about her moms, because she has two moms," Alsabhan said. "And being in the Middle East, it's very tough to pass something like this."

He added, "It's a simple edit...So far they have refused. But we haven't closed the door. We're still trying."

Despite the perceived difficulty, Disney has reportedly declined to make any changes to the film as things have been difficult for LGBTQ people as well in the states with laws like "Don't Say Gay" popping up around the country.

Homosexuality is officially illegal in Gulf nations, and films that feature LGBTQ+ themes or characters are often censored or banned altogether.

Last year, Marvel's "Eternals" was previously banned across all Gulf nations for featuring Marvel's first gay superhero and including a same-sex couple.