Egypt turns away cruise ship with mostly gay men after Turkey blocked same voyage from docking

The Virgin Voyages ship Scarlet Lady, chartered by Atlantis Events, was reportedly denied entry into Egyptian waters after Turkish authorities barred it days earlier.

A Mediterranean cruise chartered for thousands of LGBTQ+ travelers, most of them gay men, has been blocked from docking at a second country along its itinerary because of who the travelers are.

As The Advocate reported on Friday, Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady, chartered by Atlantis Events for a 10-day sailing from Athens, Greece, to Italy, was denied scheduled port calls in Kuşadası and Istanbul by Turkish authorities last week, citing “moral standards,” forcing organizers to change the route shortly before the ship arrived.

Full story Egypt turns away cruise ship with mostly gay men after Turkey blocked same voyage from docking