“Scarlet Lady”: This cruise ship is not allowed to dock in Turkey. Image: EPA
A cruise full of queer tourists was scheduled to stop in Turkey in a few days. But the authorities don’t want to let the ship dock – apparently because the guests are too queer for them.
July 3, 2026, 4:57 p.mJuly 3, 2026, 4:57 p.m
A cruise ship with around 1,900 LGBTQ travelers was scheduled to dock in Turkey in a few days. Nothing will come of it now. The Turkish authorities have canceled two planned stops of the “Scarlet Lady”, as “CNN” reports.
The ship is a ten-day Mediterranean trip from the US provider Atlantis Events. The company has been organizing trips for gay men and the LGBTQ community for decades. The current route was supposed to start in Greece on July 5th. Afterwards, stops were planned in Kuşadası on the Turkish Aegean coast and later in Istanbul.
But nothing will come of it now.
Not compatible with “moral values”.
The Turkish authorities prohibited the stop, writes CNN. A letter states that the ship was chartered by groups whose “behavior” was not compatible with the country’s “moral values” and “family values.” The planned stop in Istanbul is also cancelled.
The route will therefore be changed at short notice. Instead of going to Turkey, the “Scarlet Lady” is now traveling to Cairo in Egypt and the Greek island of Crete. For passengers this means: no Turkish coast, no Istanbul, no trips to Ephesus.
Atlantis boss Rich Campbell reacted unusually clearly to CNN. In 36 years, it was the first time that his company had been actively told that you were not allowed to invest because of your own identity. Around 1,900 passengers are expected on the trip, around 1,100 of them from the USA.
The case fits into a development that human rights organizations have been observing for years. Homosexuality is not forbidden in Turkey. However, there can be no talk of legal equality or a safe public space for LGBTQ people.
Istanbul was once known for one of the largest Pride events in the region. Since 2015, however, the march has regularly been banned or broken up by the police. This year, the government around President Erdogan and his AKP again took action against Pride participants. Internationally, Turkey performs poorly when it comes to LGBTQ rights: In ILGA-Europe’s Rainbow Ranking, the country is almost at the bottom of the list in 2026 with 5 percent. Only Azerbaijan and Russia fare worse.