An LGBTQ+ cruise that Turkey barred from docking over “moral values” has now also been prevented from visiting a port in Egypt.
Last week, the Athens-to-Venice cruise, chartered by the American company Atlantis Events, was denied permission to stop at the Turkish ports of Kuşadası and Istanbul.
Authorities in Kuşadası said the Virgin Voyages-owned ship Scarlet Lady had been refused permission to dock because the cruise was organised by “groups known for behaviors that do not align with the structure of our society and our moral values…”
The ship, carrying almost 2,000 passengers, was then rerouted to Alexandria, Egypt, as a replacement destination. However, that stop has now also been cancelled.
Last-Minute Reversal Leaves Ship at Sea
Atlantis Events CEO Rich Campbell told The Washington Post that approval to dock in Alexandria was unexpectedly withdrawn at the last minute.
“They denied our arrival on approach,” he said. “All local authorities were ready for us. We are now at sea trying to figure out what to do.”
Passengers learned of the sudden change through a message sent via the Virgin Voyages app.
“We’re incredibly disappointed to share that Scarlet Lady has just been denied entry into Egyptian waters and will no longer be able to call in Alexandria,” the company said.
American passenger Thomas Barker told NBC 6 that the cruise had been a gift from his husband, which has been somewhat soured by the developments.
“I think it’s definitely sort of taken a bit of the magic away,” he said. “It started off with such a high and everyone being so excited to be together and see people.”
Atlantis Events noted that it has previously operated LGBTQ+ cruises that stopped in both Turkey and Egypt without incident.
Growing Hostility Towards LGBTQ+ People
Turkey has become increasingly repressive towards the LGBTQ+ community. Authorities routinely ban Pride events, while President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has claimed that the “traditional family” is under threat from what he has described as the “LGBT plague” and “LGBT perversion”.
In Egypt, authorities use public morality and indecency laws to target LGBTQ+ people, with convictions carrying prison sentences. It is also common for police to entrap LGBTQ+ people through social media and dating apps.
In 2020, Egypt told the United Nations that it could not protect the rights of LGBTQ+ people because it does not recognise that they exist.
