Now Egypt Blocks Gay Cruise After Turkey Refused It Entry - MambaOnline - LGBTQ South Africa online
The Scarlet Lady, hosting an LGBTQ+ cruise, has been blocked from docking in both Turkey and Egypt. (Photo: Silver Novice of the Wirral / CC BY 2. 0)An LGBTQ+ cruise that Turkey barred from docking over “moral. . .
The Scarlet Lady, hosting an LGBTQ+ cruise, has been blocked from docking in both Turkey and Egypt. (Photo: Silver Novice of the Wirral / CC BY 2. 0)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 permissionto 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at SeaAtlantis Events CEO Rich Campbell toldThe Washington Postthat approval to dock in Alexandria was unexpectedly withdrawn at the last minute.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. ”Passengerslearned of the sudden changethrough 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 Barkertold NBC 6that 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+ PeopleTurkey has become increasingly repressive towards the LGBTQ+ community. Authorities routinelyban Pride events, while President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has claimed that the “traditional family” is under threat from what he hasdescribed 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 toentrap LGBTQ+ peoplethrough social media and dating apps. In 2020, Egypt told the United Nations that it could not protect the rights of LGBTQ+ people because itdoes not recognisethat they exist.