Kuwait summons US diplomat over 'homosexuality' posts
Kuwait's foreign ministry summoned the top U.S. diplomat in the Gulf Arab emirate over American embassy posts on social media in "support of homosexuality", it said on Friday.
The U.S. embassy in Kuwait had published a picture of an LGBTQ+ flag on its Instagram and Twitter accounts to mark the start of Pride Month on June 1.
"All human beings should be treated with respect and dignity and should be able to live without fear no matter who they are or whom they love," the embassy's tweet said.
Many in Kuwait took to social media to express their discontent over the posts, saying they went against the country's Muslim beliefs.
Kuwait's foreign ministry said in a statement that it had summoned the U.S. embassy's charge d'affaires James Holtsnider over "social media references and tweets supporting homosexuality".
It said a memorandum had been handed to Holtsnider "confirming Kuwait's rejection of what was published and stressing the need for the embassy to respect the laws and regulations in force in Kuwait".
The tenure of the former U.S. ambassador to Kuwait, Alina Romanowski, ended in April, making Holtsnider the top U.S. diplomat in the Gulf country for the time being.
Homosexuality is illegal in Kuwait, as in most Muslim countries.
But in February Kuwait's constitutional court overturned a law that criminalizes "imitation of the opposite sex" in a move Amnesty International said was a breakthrough for transgender rights in the region.
The U.S. embassies in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also shared similar posts marking Pride Month.
Source: Agence France Presse
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