Politics
Turkey bans US LGBTQ+ cruises from ports, citing ‘moral values’
Turkey reportedly blocked an American LGBTQ+ cruise from docking at two of its ports, citing “moral values” as the latest sign of the Islamist government’s increasingly harsh stance toward the LGBTQ+ community.
The “Athens to Venice” trip organized by Los Angeles-based Atlantis Events was scheduled to call at the port of Kuşadası in western Turkey on July 7 before continuing to Istanbul.
Instead, the cruise will now visit Cairo, Egypt and the Greek island of Crete, according to CNNwho was the first to report the ban.
Local Turkish authorities said they canceled planned stops because the chartered ship was booked by groups “known for behavior incompatible with the social fabric and our moral values.”
Officials in Aydin province, where Kuşadası is located, said there was “absolutely no possibility that the group in question would visit our province for an event of this nature.”
The ship, the “Scarlet Lady,” is owned by Richard Branson-backed Virgin Voyages and was expected to carry around 1,900 passengers during the 10-day Mediterranean voyage, according to Atlantis Events.
About 1,100 travelers were expected to come from the United States, while others came from the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and elsewhere.
“It’s pretty amazing, to be honest. I mean, and the reason behind it is it’s a gay group,” Rich Campbell, president and CEO of Atlantis Events, told CNN.
“It concerns me greatly when a country decides that it can choose which tourists are allowed in and which are not,” Campbell added.
Campbell said the company, which has operated LGBTQ+-focused cruises for 36 years, has never been blocked from docking because of the identity of its passengers.
It was the first time in 36 years that the company was “actively told we couldn’t dock here because of who we are,” he told CNN.
Turkish authorities have increasingly cracked down on LGBTQ+ events in recent years under the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Pride marches have been banned in Istanbul since 2015, with authorities citing security and public safety concerns.
Campbell said the cruise was not intended to be a political statement and that passengers simply planned to visit local attractions and businesses.
“It’s not a political organization. We’re just here to spend money, have a good time, tour and be incredibly respectful to every culture that we visit,” he told CNN.
The change in route was communicated to passengers on Thursday after Turkish authorities canceled the two planned stopovers.
The Post has contacted the Turkish government, Campbell, Atlantis Events and Virgin Voyages for comment.
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Sources 2/ https://nypost.com/2026/07/04/us-news/turkey-bars-american-lgbtq-cruise-from-ports-citing-moral-values/ The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article |
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