Palm Springs couple after their LGBTQ cruise is denied permission to dock in Turkey and Egypt
Peter Daut
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – A Palm Springs couple aboard the LGBTQ cruise ship “Scarlet Lady” is speaking out after the ship was denied permission to dock in Turkey this week, and has now also been denied permission to stop at its substitute port in Egypt.
Colin Wright and his husband are among the 2,000 passengers onboard Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady, who say they were notified in the middle of the night that the ship’s stop in Alexandria had been abruptly canceled.
The Palm Springs couple departed Athens on Sunday for a 10-day Mediterranean cruise with several stops.
Alexandria was selected as a substitute port after officials in Turkey denied the ship permission to dock.
The provincial government in Turkey posted that groups on the ship were known for quote “behavior incompatible with our society’s structure and moral values.”
The Egyptian government has not provided an official explanation, but many of the ship’s passengers say they’re concerned it could be a sign of growing hostility toward LGBTQ people.
((SOT Colin Wright/Passenger, Virgin Voyage’s Scarlet Lady 2:45 “It’s just more disappointing it’s led to this. We were very respectful. This cruise line has been in operation for more than thirty years. They’ve been to both Turkey and Egypt multiple times and never had any problems at all. But because of the political climate that we’re in right now, this is unfortunately what happened.” 3:06 BUTT 4:46 “We’re obviously a minority in the world, and so we’re kind of an easy target for a lot of people. And unfortunately that’s just where we are. I do think there is some increased hostility, but I also think that perhaps it’s a pendulum swinging and we’re seeing one end of the swing. Hopefully things will come back to a more moderate stance on issues that affect us.” 5:11))
Meanwhile, the company running the cruise, Atlantis, says this is unheard of, adding the ship had received approval to visit Egypt, as the company has done twice in the last two years.
The ship is now on its third itinerary, with new stops in Crete and Montenegro.
The LGBTQ cruise had been planned for more than a year and Atlantis says it has never had one of its charters denied permission to dock in its 36-year history.
Now, it has happened twice in a single week.