Ban "Barbie" in Nigeria - Ahmed Muktari

Barbie: How Did An American Cult Movie Promoting Homosexuality Get Approval For Theatrical Release in Nigeria By The National Film and Video Censors Board?

- Ahmed Muktari

In Lebanon, Mohammad Mortada, the Minister of Culture has convinced the Lebanese government to ban the film "Barbie" from cinemas on Wednesday, saying it "promotes homosexuality" and contradicts religious values.

"Barbie" has been banned in 

Kuwait to protect "public ethics and social traditions", the state news agency reported. Other anti-gay countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa are most likely going to do so.

The National Film and Video Censors' Board (NFVCB) and National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) have questions to answer for the release of "Barbie" in Nigeria.

Homosexuality carries a 10-year jail term in Nigeria.

The act of aiding and abetting anyone in homosexuality is also a crime like aiding and abetting anyone in robbery and other crimes.

Did the NFVCB watch the film before approval or they have compromised their official duties and responsibilities to censor movies violating the ethics and laws of the constitutional policy of the agency and the laws of Nigeria?

OUR POLICY – NFVCB | National Film And Video Censors Board:

The detail of the Guidelines is contained in the following pages. But it is right to set out here the general underlying grounds on which the Board exercises the broad discretion conferred on it. There are four main considerations:

is the film or video work in conflict with the law?

that adults should be free to choose their entertainment, within the law.

is the film or video classified for a particular age group likely to be harmful?

is the material, at the age group concerned, clearly unacceptable to broad public opinion?

https://www.nfvcb.gov.ng/our-policy/

The Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act, which banned gay relationships and entrenched intolerance of sexual minorities in Nigerian society, was signed by Goodluck Jonathan, then president, in January 2014.

Nigeria is a country of almost equal populations of Christians and Muslims who are against homosexuality condemned by both religions of Christianity and Islam. And the minority of traditionalists also condemn homosexuality as demonic and against the native customs and traditions of the tribes in Nigeria.

We must not permit the corruption of our society and the violations of our laws by Western import of homosexuality.

- Ahmed Muktari,

Lagos,Nigeria.

PS:

"Barbie' is a 2023 American fantasy comedy film directed by Greta Gerwig from a screenplay she wrote with her partner Noah Baumbach. Based on the Barbie fashion dolls by Mattel, it is the first live-action Barbie film after numerous computer-animated films and specials. 

It is currently the highest grossing movie so far in 2023.

The views of the author of the article are not the opinions of Nigerians Report Online.

Rejoinders will be published.

7 of 10 LGBT Americans Say U.S. Remains Far from Gender Equality

7 Aug 2010 12:07 Africa/Lagos


7 of 10 LGBT Americans Say U.S. Remains Far from Gender Equality

90 Years After Enacting Women's Suffrage, LGBT Americans See Greater Evidence of Inequalities Still Facing 21st Century Women

NEW YORK, Aug. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- In 1920, 144 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, women in the United States achieved the right to vote. Ninety years later, the issues of gender equality remain debated and unresolved.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100517/NY06256LOGO )
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100517/NY06256LOGO )

Among all American adults, 63% agree that the U.S. still has a long way to go to reach complete gender quality. While three-quarters of women (74%) agree with this, so do just over half of men (52%). By comparison, when this question is posed to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) adults, 73% say the U.S. still has a long way to go, including 95% of lesbians (an especially notable finding when compared with 74% of heterosexual females.)
When querying whether things are fine between men and women, the nation is split - just over half of Americans (52%) disagree that things are fine between the genders while 43% say things are fine. But men and women have a different take on the situation with over half of men (55%) believing things are fine compared to just one-third (32%) of women who say the same.


However, when these overall findings are contrasted with the attitudes of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender adults, the differences become even sharper. Only 22% of lesbians (and 32% of gay men) suggest that things are fine between genders, as well as only one-third or 34% of all LGBT adults sampled.
These are some of the results of The Harris Poll of 2,412 adults surveyed online between June 14 and 21, 2010 by Harris Interactive including 341 adults who self-identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender by Harris Interactive, a global market research and consulting firm, in conjunction with Witeck-Combs Communications, Inc., a strategic public relations and marketing communications firm with special expertise in the LGBT market. [Please note that this survey was designed to measure the general attitudes and beliefs of American adults about the changing roles of men and women in society - and not specifically about issues surrounding gender identity and expression nor about continued discrimination towards transgender Americans.]
Whether the issue of gender equality should be addressed is another question in these times with so many other pressing concerns. Three-quarters of U.S. adults (74%) agree that they do not think gender equality is perfect, but there are more pressing issues to fix first. And men and women are in agreement on this (74% of men agree as do 75% of women). A smaller majority (59%) of LGBT adults agrees that while gender equality is not perfect, there are other priorities requiring attention.


Women and Work
Some of the discrepancies the still unratified Equal Rights Amendment was intended to correct were chronic inequities in the workplace among men and women. Seven in ten Americans (69%) say that women often do not receive the same pay as men for doing exactly the same job; which rises to nearly eight in ten (79%) LGBT Americans.
Three in five of all U.S. adults (62%) and 72% of LGBT adults agree that women are often discriminated against in being promoted for supervisory and executive jobs. Women are much more likely than men to agree with this but almost half of men also agree with both sentiments. Four in five women (80%) and 96% of lesbians agree that women often do not receive the same pay for the same job compared to 58% of men (71% of gay men). Three out of four women (yet 93% of lesbians) agree women are discriminated against in their promotions compared to 48% of all men (and 69% of gay men).


For LGBT Americans, do these findings sound familiar?
In ninety years many things have changed for women in this country simply beginning with the right to vote. And some may argue things are better, but there is still the undercurrent that there are issues, especially when it comes to pay and employment, where things have not yet approached an equal footing with men.
Bob Witeck, CEO of Witeck-Combs Communications, which specializes in LGBT marketing and trends, notes that, "LGBT Americans, who most likely recognize the consequences of their own workplace and social inequities are especially sensitive to perceived discrimination in all forms. For gay Americans, these may be life lessons that mirror their own experiences - and demonstrate that the divide today between men and women remains as real as the evidence of unfair and unequal treatment still shown to women in public life."
TABLE 1
GENDER EQUALITY TODAY
"On another subject, August of this year will mark the 90th
anniversary of women receiving the right to vote in the United
States.
How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements about
gender equality in the United States


Click here for more Details.

Nigerian Lesbian Gospel Singer Rocks America

15 Jun 2009 13:25 Africa/Lagos

'Come Out' Album's Message: God Loves You Just as Gay as You Are

LOS ANGELES, June 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Gospel singer and an out lesbian member of clergy in the Gospel Truth Music Ministry (http://www.rizigospel.com/), the Rev. Rizi Nasele Timane' is unveiling her new album "Come Out," a collection of original songs that call for full human rights for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. As part of the album's promotion, Timane' is touring the United States during the summer of 2009.


The album's title song challenges the fundamentalist notion that God and the Bible condemn homosexuality and strives to educate the public about what the Bible really says and does not say about homosexuality. "I have extensively studied the Greek and Hebrew translations of the Bible, and I found that, when interpreted properly, the Bible does not condemn homosexuality at all," stated Timane'.


"I'm the first out lesbian reverend and gospel singer from Nigeria, West Africa," Timane' continued. "I was one of the first people to identify as openly gay in homophobic Africa, and I know firsthand how that rejection translates to drug addiction and suicide." According to the Massachusetts 2006 Youth Risk Survey, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth are up to four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers. Additionally, San Francisco State University's Chavez Center Institute has found that LGBTQ youth who come from a rejecting family are up to nine times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers because of the negative treatment endured.


"For LGBT persons, this painful struggle with religion or spirituality and sexuality is responsible for depression, low self-esteem, drug addiction, self-abuse, isolation and the entering into of false heterosexual marriages," said Timane'. "Worst of all, it's responsible for thousands of suicides each year in the LGBT community, especially amongst our teens and young adults. It is my hope to put a stop to these negative traits and suicides by re-educating our community."


"Anti-LGBT arguments like the one contending that California's Proposition 8 ensures children's wellbeing by providing them with a mother and father are totally absurd. In the case of Proposition 8, the state's laws permit adoption by gay and lesbian parents as well as single parents and even allows courts to assign a single grandparent, aunt, uncle or even a non-blood relative to be a child's guardian or caregiver," continued Timane'.


"The goal of my new album is to enable any LGBT person seeking God to know that God loves them just as gay as they are," states Timane'. She also wants to help those who are struggling with their spirituality and sexuality, just as she did for many years, to finally find complete reconciliation and affirmation.


Gospel music lovers and Timane' fans will be able to attend live performances at the following times and events:


-- June 20 at 2:50 p.m., Rhode Island PrideFest in Station Park


-- June 27 at 3 p.m. and June 28 at 12:30 p.m., San Francisco Pride Celebration in Civic Center Plaza


-- July 9 at 7:30 p.m., Annual Fellowship Convention in Westin Atlanta Airport hotel


-- July 18 at 2 p.m., San Diego Gay Pride 2009 in Balboa Park


To learn more about Timane' and her experiences as a gay Christian that inspired her music, visit http://www.rizigospel.com/.


"Come Out" video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rfre1lV61Es


Contact:

Christina Thach
Gospel Truth Music Ministry
888-474-9423
thegospeltruthmusic@yahoo.com



This release was issued through eReleases(TM). For more information, visit http://www.ereleases.com/.


Source: The Gospel Truth Music Ministry

CONTACT: Christina Thach of Gospel Truth Music Ministry,
+1-888-474-9423, thegospeltruthmusic@yahoo.com


Web Site: http://www.rizigospel.com/