Kuwait: Foreign ministry summons US embassy official over pro-LGBTQ+ tweets

Kuwait's foreign ministry on Thursday summoned the United States embassy's acting charge d'affaires over tweets the embassy published that "support homosexuality", the ministry said in a statement.

US officials there had posted a rainbow flag and a message of solidarity from President Joe Biden for Pride month.

In a pair of tweets published in English and Arabic on Thursday, the embassy had tweeted: "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.

"@POTUS is a champion for the human rights of #LGBTQI persons."

Kuwait said it handed the charge d'affaires a memorandum stating its rejection of what was published and stressing the need for the embassy to respect the laws and regulations in force in the emirate and the obligation not to publish such tweets.

Homosexuality is punishable by law in a number of majority Muslim countries, including Kuwait.

On Wednesday, the US embassy in Saudi Arabia published a tweet that included support for the LGBT community, saying: "During #Pride2022, @StateDept celebrates the contributions members of the LGBTQI+ community make to our nation. We are committed to ending violence, discrimination, and stigma against LGBTQI+ persons worldwide."

Pride Month is celebrated in June in many countries to commemorate the Stonewall riots. 

The protests took place in 1969 in the US and sparked widespread change for LGBTQ+ rights around the world.

The entire month is dedicated to celebrating LGBTQ+ people and culture and raising awareness about ongoing issues faced by the communities.