Turkish authorities have banned the Scarlet Lady cruise ship, which is carrying mostly American LGBTQ+ tourists, from entering the countryʼs ports, citing "moral values" and "inconsistent with the traditions of Turkish society".
CNN writes about this.
This is a 10-day cruise "From Athens to Venice", which starts from Greece on July 5. The ship was supposed to stop in the Turkish cities of Kusadasi and Istanbul, but after the decision of the authorities, the route was changed — now the liner will go to Cairo (Egypt) and the Greek island of Crete.
Atlantis Events, which organizes LGBTQ+ themed cruises, said this was the first time in its 36 years of operation that a country had denied a ship port entry because of who its passengers were.
“It’s very disturbing when a country decides which tourists can and cannot be allowed in,” said the company’s CEO, Rich Campbell.
Nearly 1 900 passengers are expected on board, of which approximately 1 100 are US citizens. The rest are tourists from the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and other countries.
- In recent years, Turkish authorities have intensified anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric. In particular, in Istanbul, pride marches have been banned since 2015, citing security concerns.
- Last June, Turkish police detained at least 30 people in central Istanbul as they tried to take part in a Pride March that the authorities had banned.
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