Turkey blocks LGBTQ+ cruise ship Scarlet Lady from docking, citing 'moral values'; operator reroutes to Egypt and Greece

Denial and official reasoning

On July 4, the governor’s office of Aydın province announced on X that the Scarlet Lady would not be allowed to dock at Kuşadası on July 7. The statement said it was “absolutely out of the question” because the ship had been chartered by groups “known for behaviors incompatible with the fabric of our society and our moral values.” The same restriction applied to a planned two-day stop in Istanbul. Provincial governors in Turkey are appointed directly by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s office.

It is absolutely out of the question that the ship Scarlet Lady will dock at the port of Kuşadası.

Rerouting and company response

Atlantis Events, the US tour operator that chartered the vessel, confirmed the denial and quickly revised the itinerary. The ship will now call at Alexandria, Egypt, and Heraklion on the Greek island of Crete. CEO Rich Campbell told CNN that his company had never before been denied docking permission because of passenger identity in its 36-year history. He said he was baffled that the authorities considered the group’s queer identity sufficient grounds. Atlantis had visited Istanbul 13 times over the past 25 years without incident. Attempts to reverse the decision, including with help from the US embassy, were unsuccessful.

I was baffled that it was sufficient for the Turkish authorities to cite that the travelers are a queer group.

Broader anti-LGBTQ climate

The denial is the latest in a series of moves by Erdoğan’s government against LGBTQ+ visibility. Pride marches and events have been banned almost every year since 2015, with authorities citing security and public order. Although Turkey’s secular constitution does not criminalize LGBTQ+ identities, the government has intensified its anti-LGBTQ rhetoric. Conservative media outlets had criticized the planned cruise visit in advance and called for its cancellation.

Closure of Istanbul bar

Separately, authorities closed a bar in Istanbul’s Beyoğlu district that pro-government media had identified as the local organizer of the cruise event. The Istanbul governor’s office said the closure was due to alleged regulatory violations.