Iraq forbids media platforms from using the word “homosexual”

All media platforms in Iraq are now banned from using the word “homosexual”, as the country offers alternatives.

The Iraqi Media and Communications Commission has issued a directive requesting that "sexual deviancy" be used in place of the terms "homosexual" or "homosexuality" across the nation's media outlets and social media platforms.

According to the commission, which noted that the terms "homosexuality, homosexuality, and Gender" have negative connotations in Iraqi society, the decision, which has been widely reported by state and private news outlets, was made to protect societal values and maintain public order.

Although no specific sanctions were set up right away for failure to follow the new directive, a government representative suggested that fines might be implemented.

Although homosexuality is not expressly criminalized in Iraq's national penal code, the country's judicial authorities frequently use provisions in other laws related to the upkeep of "public morals" to bring charges against same-sex offenders. Amnesty International, a rights organization, warned that the new directive may make matters worse for the LGBTQ community in Iraq, where legal ambiguity has led to discrimination, abuse, and even fatal attacks against them.

Long-standing efforts to advance LGBTQ rights have been resisted by many Muslim-majority countries, including by opposing UN global initiatives. A group of 57 U.N. members, the majority of whom are Muslims, previously cosponsored a resolution at the U.N. General Assembly opposing LGBTQ rights, and in 2016, 51 Muslim-majority states blocked 11 organizations supporting gay and transgender rights from attending a high-level U.N. meeting on AIDS prevention.