Amazon restricts LGBTQ searches and products in the United Arab Emirates

amfAR Celebrates NYC Pride 2018 — *Amazon sponsors LGBTQ issues in the US, including this Pride float from NYC in 2018.* | Photo by Rob Kim/Getty Images

Amazon has restricted search results and inventory related to LGBTQ topics in the United Arab Emirates after being pressured to do so by the government, reports The New York Times. Same-sex relationships and sex acts are illegal in the UAE, and are punishable by fines and imprisonment.

A number of books related to LGBTQ topics were removed from sale in the UAE (including Roxane Gay’s Bad Feminist and Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer: A Memoir), and search results have been hidden for more than 150 keywords. These include broad search terms like “lgbtq” and “pride,” as well as targeted queries like “transgender flag” and “chest binder for lesbians.”

The Times notes that it’s not clear what penalties Amazon was threatened with by the UAE...

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