Egypt recently denied entry to the Virgin Voyages cruise ship Scarlet Lady, which is carrying nearly 2,500 passengers, mostly LGBTQ+ travelers, and the musical diva force-of-nature, Patti LuPone. The Scarlet Lady has already been blocked from docking in Turkey. The ship had been chartered by the LGBTQ+ travel company Atlantis Events, and was scheduled to stop in Alexandria, Egypt, after Turkish authorities prevented planned stops in Kuşadası and Istanbul. Egyptian authorities did not publicly provide a reason for refusing the ship’s entry, although the decision came shortly after Turkey cited concerns about “moral values” and the cruise’s LGBTQ+ passenger group when denying access. Atlantis Events CEO Rich Campbell said the Egyptian decision was especially surprising because the company had previously completed a similar itinerary without incident and had received approval before the denial occurred. As of July 15 the ship is still at sea, and has now been rerouted to visit stops in Greece and Montenegro before heading to its final destination in Trieste, Italy.
This story of the gay cruise ship that nobody wants is unfortunately not an isolated incident where international anti-LGBTQ sentiments are concerned. We recently reported on that World Cup “Pride match” between Egypt and Iran, of which the city of Seattle officially incorporated into its gay pride celebrations. At the time government officials from both competing countries expressed dissent, and Egypt officially petitioned FIFA to nix the Pride celebratory elements from the match. Such global confrontations are laced with discord and raise serious concerns over queer rights and freedoms, particularly among LGBTQ+ travelers. Are restrictions on LGBTQ+ tourism and increasing hostility toward visibly queer communities in some world destinations the new normal?
And to our peer dear queers who are posting dramatic testimonials to social media while aboard the ship right now, you’re going to be fine. At least you weren’t on that infamous “poop cruise”!
