A statement was issued by the Minister of Culture in the caretaker government, Mohammad Wissam Al-Murtada, which included "a position regarding his campaign against the promotion of homosexuality in Lebanon and the smear campaigns he faces aimed at deterring him from continuing the confrontation." The statement read: "On the contrary, these campaigns have a reverse effect as they strengthen our resolve and conviction, and show the Lebanese people that what we are facing is a program backed by external entities intending harm to Lebanon and our people."
The statement continued, "Because freedom is awareness, responsibility, and a constant aspiration to build a world of good, and because culture is the twin of freedom and the guardian of national values, our enlightening stance regarding the well-known film, and the proposed law aiming to legalize homosexuality, as well as the scenes of indecency in public places, and the advertisements promoting sexual relationships between males as love, are all considered precursors to an imported project that would only result in the destruction of a large part of our intangible heritage represented by the moral dimension, which is one of the most important aspects of our Lebanese civilizational identity."
He added, "Assuming that the relevant administrative authority allowed the screening of that film, which is of course its right and authority, families have become vigilant to protect their children, alert them, and educate them. Most importantly, the public opinion in Lebanon, provoked by the plan to promote homosexuality, expressed its full awareness of its dangers and its firm rejection of it. This is what dismantled the proposed law to legalize homosexuality even before it was put to a vote in the parliament."
Al-Murtada concluded his statement: "I am confident that the great Lebanese people will remain, in all its spectrums, the faithful guardian of the comprehensive values that prevail in our lives, protect our society, and fortify our generations."
