Iraqs official media regulator has issued a directive to all media and social media companies operating in the country, ordering them not to use the term homosexuality but instead to refer to it as sexual deviance, as revealed by a government spokesperson and a document from the regulator.The Iraqi Communications and Media Commission (CMC) released a document stating that the use of the term gender is also banned. This prohibition extends to all mobile applications operated by phone and internet companies under the commissions license.An Arabic-language statement released by the CMC directed “media organisations…not to use the term homosexuality and to use the correct term sexual deviance.”Iraq media might be fined for using homosexuality: SpokespersonA spokesperson of the Iraqi government clarified that the decision needs final approval before it is implemented.The CMC document does not currently specify the penalty for violating this rule, but the spokesperson suggested that it could include a fine. Although Iraqs penal code doesnt explicitly criminalise gay sex, vague morality clauses have historically been used to target members of the LGBT community.In recent months, major Iraqi political parties have intensified their criticism of LGBT rights, and anti-LGBT sentiment has been on display during protests, where rainbow flags have been burned by Shiite Muslim factions protesting against Quran burnings in Sweden and Denmark.While more than 60 countries still criminalize gay sex, more than 130 countries have legalized same-sex sexual acts, according to the website Our World in Data.
