ALBAWABA - Calls all over social media in Saudi Arabia for banning the new animated Spider-Man movie "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" over a poster that has the phrase "Protect Trans Kids", noting that LBTQ+ activities are criminalized in the country.
The globally anticipated movie released on June 2, starring Hailee Steinfeld and Shameik Moore faced some backlash on Saudi social media as people called for banning what they claim to be "socially unacceptable connotations" included in the movie.
Some shots from the movie roamed the internet showing a banner with the "Protect Trans Kids", which some speculated for the main character "Gwen Stacey" to be transgender.
According to the Rotten Tomatoes website, the Oscar-winning movie follows the story of Miles Morales who returns for the next chapter of the Spider-Verse saga, an epic adventure that will transport Brooklyn's full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man across the Multiverse to join forces with Gwen Stacy and a new team of Spider-People to face off with a villain more powerful than anything they have ever encountered.
In the past, Saudi Arabia banned the screening of the Marvel Studios film "Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness" because it features the gay character America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez). The movie was also banned from screening in Kuwait and Egypt.
Update:
The Daily Loud reported that “Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse” has now been banned in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and the Middle East due to a trans flag that briefly appears in the film.
