Just days after officials in Turkey blocked an LGBTQ+ cruise from docking on its shores, claiming the sailing doesn't "align with the structure of our society and our moral values," Egypt has followed suit.
Virgin Voyages' Scarlet Lady is carrying 2,000 LGBTQ+ passengers and Broadway icon Patti LuPone on a 10-day "epic all-gay voyage," which is being run by U.S.-based company Atlantis Events.
The ship departed Athens, Greece, on Sunday and was scheduled to dock in Kuşadası on Tuesday, later stopping in Istanbul. A replacement call in Egypt was also scrapped this week after authorities turned the ship away.
"We were given full approval to arrive (in) Egypt and just four hours before we picked up the pilot and customs officers we were told that the ship would not be allowed to enter the harbor," Atlantis Events CEO Rich Campbell told USA Today. "No explanation was given for this decision and we are very disappointed."
"It’s pretty stunning, to be honest. I mean, and the reasoning behind it is that it’s a gay group. It’s very concerning to me when a country decides they can pick and choose which tourists are allowed in and which are not," Campbell told the news outlet after Turkish authorities prevented the ship from docking.
"When we pull into port, the ship looks like any other ship," added Campbell. "It’s not like we’re not a gay pride rally, we’re not a march, we’re not an organization, we’re not a political statement in any way. The cruise was advertised a year ago, it’s not new."
Atlantis has docked gay cruises in Istanbul and Kuşadası 13 times in the last 25 years, the company said.
Campbell also said Atlantis has been to Egypt five times in the past without incident, including bringing 2,500 guests to Alexandria just last year.
"The Atlantis cruise I am performing on next week has been banned from entering Turkey," LuPone wrote in an Instagram post last week. "A ship—a magnificent ship—full of gay men. And me. Denied entry to Turkey simply because of who is on board."
"I am furious, but I am sailing, as the ship will make other ports of call," she added. "I am ready to perform for all the wonderful men on this Atlantis cruise, who deserve so much better than this."
Campbell said the company made efforts to reach out to the U.S. Embassy in Turkey to reverse the decision, but Turkish authorities wouldn't budge.
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