Talk To Me Catches Ban In Kuwait Due To Trans Actor Existing On Screen

“Talk To Me” has already proven to be a box office success, so the film will be just fine without the Kuwait box office, but that isn’t the point. It’s a shame, not only because it’s just blatant bigotry in action, but also because the people of Kuwait are going to be denied one of the best horror movies of the year. This also all but guarantees that Kuwait will ban the upcoming “Ironheart” TV series, as Terakes’ casting makes them the first transgender actor to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

But Kuwait banning a film solely because an actor cast in a role happens to be trans opens up an extremely cursed edition of Pandora’s Box. The way the transgender community — especially transgender people of color — are treated by systems of power might as well be the canary in the coal mines for the LGBTQIA+ community at large. We’re seeing it here in America. Anti-trans legislation has jumped over 800 percent since 2018, and it’s expanded into anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation as well.

So if people think Kuwait banning a film because it features a trans actor won’t expand to banning films featuring openly queer actors or other countries following suit, they’re in for a very rude awakening.