Turkish authorities have banned cruise ships carrying American LGBTQ travelers from entering Turkish ports, citing “moral standards and family values.”
The Athens to Venice cruise, which departed from Greece on Sunday, July 5, was scheduled to enter the Turkish port city of Kusadasi on July 7 before heading to Istanbul, according to Atlantis Events, the LGBTQ travel company that organized the trip.
However, local authorities in Turkey canceled the “event”, saying the ship had been chartered by a group “known for actions that are incompatible with our social fabric and moral values.”
The ship, Scarlet Lady, is owned by Virgin Voyages, which is backed by Richard Branson. The 10-day cruise was scheduled to sail around the Mediterranean, with stops in Greece and Croatia.
Rich Campbell, president and CEO of Atlantis Events, said about 1,100 of the ship’s 1,900 passengers were Americans. CNN. The remaining travelers are from countries such as the UK, Canada and Australia.
“Honestly, this is pretty surprising, because the reason behind it is a gay group,” Campbell said of Turkey’s decision to ban the ship from its ports. “It’s very disturbing to me that a country would decide that it can choose which tourists it allows into the country and which tourists it doesn’t.”
Campbell said it was the first time in the company’s 36-year history that “we were actively told we might not be able to dock here because of who we are.”
However, the Turkish government’s actions are not surprising. President Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling AK Party (Justice and Development) has adopted an increasingly tough stance on LGBTQ rights and cracked down on displays of LGBTQ visibility. President Erdoğan previously swore This is to combat “perverted” trends that he claims are undermining the institution of the family and hindering efforts to increase birth rates.
Authorities in Turkey’s Aydın province, where Kusadasi is located, said: “There is no possibility that the group in question would come to our country for an event of this nature.”
Meanwhile, Istanbul officials said police raided a bar in the city after an “Atlantis pamphlet” allegedly advertised a party there. Campbell told CNN that the brochure is not produced by or affiliated with Atlantis Events.
“This is not a political group,” Campbell said. “We’re just here to spend money, have a good time, take tours, and be incredibly respectful of every culture we visit.”
On July 2, Atlantis informed passengers that due to actions taken by Turkish authorities, “Due to circumstances beyond our control, we have had to change the ports on our itinerary to remove both stops in Turkey.”
The ship will instead dock in Cairo, Egypt, and Crete, Greece.
Broadway legend Patti LuPone said in an Instagram post that she plans to perform on the cruise.
Tony Award-winning star is ‘shocked’ Evita and company I wrote. “The Atlantis cruise I’m on next week has been banned from entering Turkey. The ship – which is a great ship – is full of gay men. And me. I was denied entry to Turkey just because of who was on board.
“I’m furious, but the ship is sailing as it plans to visit other ports of call. I’m ready to perform for the wonderful people on this Atlantis cruise. They deserve better than this.”
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
