Kuwait says it summoned U.S. diplomat over embassy's Pride month tweets
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A rainbow flag hangs under a U.S. flag at the American embassy in Berlin, Germany. Photo: Jörg Carstensen/picture alliance via Getty Images
Kuwait's government said it summoned a senior U.S. diplomat after the American Embassy posted a pair of tweets supporting LGBTQ+ rights in English and Arabic to mark Pride Month on Thursday.
Why it matters: Rights for LGBTQ+ people are severely restricted in Kuwait, but the embassy tweeted that President Biden is a "champion for the human rights" of LGBTQ+ people and "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."
- In Kuwait, sex between men specifically is punishable by up to seven years in prison, according to rights groups.
What they're saying: Kuwait's foreign ministry said in a statement saying it had summoned Jim Holtsnider, Acting chargé d'affairs of the U.S. Embassy, about "the embassy's publication on its social media accounts of references and tweets supporting homosexuality" and reminded him of "the obligation not to publish such tweets" and "respect the laws and regulations in force" in the state.
- The statement claimed the tweets violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price later Friday shared the tweet posted by U.S. embassy in Kuwait and said on Twitter: "The United States stands with the LGBTQI+ community everywhere around the world."
Editor's note: This story has been updated with Ned Price's tweet.
