Egypt Bans LGBTQ+ Cruise Ship After Turkey Refusal

Egypt has prohibited the cruise ship The Scarlet Lady from docking in its territorial waters, marking the second such ban for the vessel on its Mediterranean itinerary. The ship, chartered by Atlantis Events for an LGBTQ+ themed cruise, was previously denied entry by Turkey. Turkish authorities cited the group's activities as incompatible with societal moral values. Egyptian officials have not provided an official reason for their decision, though LGBTQ+ individuals in Egypt face persecution under public morality laws, despite same-sex relations being legally permitted. Over 2,000 passengers were informed of the change on the morning of July 10th, as the ship was scheduled to dock in Alexandria. Organizers stated they were unpleasantly surprised, as the same route was completed without incident last year. The ship's itinerary was altered from a planned stop in Turkey to Egypt, but now it will proceed to Kotor, Montenegro, instead. Rich Campbell, president of Atlantis Events, called the situation a "precedent," noting that in 36 years of business, no country has ever denied docking solely based on passenger profile.

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In 36 years of business, it has never happened that a country has banned us from docking exclusively because of the profile of the passengers.