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A luxurious cruise ship, which set out on a 10-day journey from Athens, the capital of Greece, to Venice, the historical city of Italy, is currently embroiled in deep international controversy and crisis. This huge ship named ‘Scarlet Lady’, carrying about 2000 gay (LGBTQ+) passengers, has been completely refused by two major coastal countries to give them shelter and permission to anchor at the port. First the Turkish government stopped this cruise citing social values and now Egypt has also banned passengers from entering its territory. Since then, this cruise ship is forced to wander from place to place in search of a safe haven and an alternative port in the middle of the sea.
Traveling from Athens to Venice became a problem: Famous Broadway star Patti LuPone expressed her pain.
According to an exclusive report by CNN, the hugely popular and award-winning Broadway artiste Patti LuPone is also aboard this high-profile cruise journey with her team. They have expressed their intense displeasure and sadness through social media over this sudden ban imposed by Turkey and Egypt. Patti LuPone shared live updates from inside the cruise, saying that the entire cruise staff and passengers were heading towards Egypt with hope after being heartbroken by being denied entry into Turkey. But the very next morning an official announcement was made in the cabin that the Egyptian authorities had also refused to allow the ship to stop at the port of Alexandria. At present, it is not clear to the passengers where their next stop at sea is going to be.
Charter company Atlantis Events surprised: CEO said – there was no problem in Cairo last time
Global event management company ‘Atlantis Events’, which has prepared the blueprint for this special trip, has expressed deep surprise and disappointment at this sudden decision of Egypt. The company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Rich Campbell issued an official statement saying that he was completely shocked by this administrative prohibition, because earlier when his cruise reached Cairo and Alexandria, no obstruction was created by the local administration. Campbell said Atlantis and Virgin Voyages made every effort to hold their previously scheduled cultural events in Alexandria, but were put on hold at the last minute citing security and regulations, which was extremely disappointing for the entire global LGBTQ+ community.
What is the whole controversy of ‘Scarlet Lady’? Why countries are angry over the luxury cruise of ‘Virgin Voyages’
In fact, this entire controversy is a matter of cultural and legal preferences. ‘Scarlet Lady’ cruises are operated by the globally renowned Virgin Voyages. The cruise was chartered for 10 days by Atlantis Events, a travel firm that organizes large-scale LGBTQ+ tourism and cultural events around the world. According to the fixed schedule, the ship was to stop at two large and busy ports of Turkey (Aydın Kuşadası). But as soon as the Turkish administration became aware of this specific charter group, they immediately issued a decree to keep it out of their borders. Egyptian authorities have not yet issued any written public statement, but a no-entry message has been sent directly to the cruise captain.
Turkish government’s official stance: ‘This is against our people and social fabric’
The Governor’s Office of Turkey’s Aydın Province (Aydın Valiliği) has made its stance completely clear by issuing an official press release on social media. Turkish administrative officials say that this cruise has been chartered by a special group whose behavior and social conduct does not match the basic structure of Turkish society, traditional family structure and moral values. As soon as the news of this ship’s arrival at Kushadasi port spread, voices of deep concern and protest started emerging among the local public and organizations, due to which it was banned to maintain law and order.
International experts believe that in both Egypt and Turkey, very strict and conservative laws regarding homosexuality are in force, due to which this situation has arisen. Earlier in March, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had imposed a complete ban on the annual Pride Parade in the capital, and dozens of protestors were jailed.