Amazon limits LGBT-related products in the United Arab Emirates

• The act of expressing support for LGBT rights may potentially be illegal.
• Comes as Pride month, a time to honour LGBT individuals globally, draws to a close.
• Amazon says it ‘remains committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion’.

In the United Arab Emirates, the online retailer Amazon has limited the search results for LGBT individuals and causes (UAE).

The company apparently made the action in response to pressure from the Gulf state’s government.

In the UAE, same-sex relationships are forbidden. The act of expressing support for LGBT rights may potentially be illegal.

The announcement comes as Pride month, a time to honour LGBT individuals globally, draws to a close.

An Amazon spokeswoman told the BBC, “As a company, we remain committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we think that the rights of LGBTQ+ people must be safeguarded.”

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They said, “With Amazon stores all over the world, we must also abide by the local laws and regulations of the nations in which we operate.”

According to the New York Times, which broke the story first, the corporation decided to limit the searches after being threatened with sanctions by the UAE government.

An inquiry from the BBC for comment was not immediately answered by the UAE embassy in Washington.

The Kuwaiti foreign ministry reported earlier this month that it had summoned a senior US diplomat in retaliation for tweets from the American embassy endorsing LGBT rights.

In honour of Pride month, US officials there hoisted a rainbow flag and a message of support from President Joe Biden.

The embassy was criticised by Kuwaiti officials for “promoting homosexuality,” and they asked that it not happen again.

Kuwait severely restricts the rights of LGBT individuals, and it is against the law for men to be gay there.

State TV reported that authorities in Saudi Arabia also took toys and children’s clothing last month because they believe these items promote homosexuality.

A report from Al-Ekhbariya shows representatives from the trade ministry taking a variety of goods out of stores in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.

They included t-shirts, hats, pencil cases, pop-its, and hair clips.

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