Turkey shuts its ports to LGBTQ+ cruise over 'moral values'

Turkey has barred a cruise ship carrying more than 1,000 American LGBTQ+ travellers from docking at two of its ports, citing the country's "moral values" and "family values".

The Athens to Venice cruise, organised by Atlantis Events, departed from Greece on July 5 and was due to stop at the Turkish port town of Kusadası on July 7 before continuing to Istanbul. However, Turkish authorities cancelled both port calls, forcing the vessel to revise its itinerary.

According to local officials, the decision was taken because the passengers were allegedly associated with "behaviours incompatible with the fabric of our society and our moral values".

The Scarlet Lady, operated by Virgin Voyages, will now visit Cairo in Egypt and the Greek island of Crete instead.

Broadway actor Patti LuPone, 77, who is performing on board during the voyage, expressed shock over the decision on social media.

Atlantis Events President and Chief Executive Rich Campbell described the move as unprecedented in the company's 36-year history.

"It's pretty stunning," Campbell told CNN. "The reasoning behind it is that it's a gay group."

He added that it was the first time a destination had denied one of the company's cruises entry specifically because of the sexual orientation of its passengers.

"It's very concerning when a country decides it can pick and choose which tourists are allowed in," Campbell said.

The incident comes amid Turkey's increasingly restrictive approach towards the LGBTQ+ community under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Pride marches in Istanbul have been banned since 2015, with the government citing public safety concerns, a justification that has been criticised by human rights organisations.

Among those affected was journalist **Randy Slovacek**, who covers LGBTQ+ issues and had previously visited Turkey on an Atlantis cruise without incident.

"We are just a group of people touring the world," Slovacek said from Athens, expressing disappointment that local Turkish businesses would miss out on revenue from the cruise passengers.

"However, Cairo and Crete will be enjoying our tourism dollars," he added.

The incident has drawn attention to the widening gap between Turkey's conservative social policies and the growing international LGBTQ+ tourism market. Despite remaining a popular destination for many Western travellers, the country has seen an increase in anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric in recent years.

Atlantis Events confirmed that the cruise will continue with its revised itinerary and said it remains committed to providing safe, inclusive and welcoming travel experiences for its guests.