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LGBT flag sparks controversy in Gulf

This is not the first time the LGBT pride flag has proven controversial in the Middle East.

Rainbow symbol
A drag queen dances with a rainbow-colored dress during the annual Jerusalem Pride Parade in the city center on June 2, 2022. — AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images

The rainbow flag representing pride for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people has recently been the center of controversy in two Gulf states. 

On June 14, the Saudi state-owned television station Al Ekhbariya ran a report on rainbow-colored toys and their supposed connection to homosexuality. In the video, the presenter interviewed a Ministry of Commerce official in a children’s toy store in Riyadh. Speaking before a pile of toys featuring rainbow colors, the official said the toys “promote homosexuality in an indirect way.” 

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