(LifeSiteNews) — Turkish authorities have banned a “gay cruise” ship from docking in the country because it does not align with the “moral values” of the country.

As the Washington Blade reported, Turkish authorities have disallowed the homosexual-themed cruise organized by Atlantis Events from docking in the country.

The Scarlet Lady, a cruise ship chartered by Atlantis Events, was slated to pass through the Aegean Sea on Tuesday, July 7, and to dock in Istanbul on Wednesday.

However, a Turkish official in Aydin province, in which Kusadasi is located, announced on June 28 that the Scarlet Lady would not be allowed to dock in Turkey.

“The organization, planned by groups known for behaviors that do not align with the structure of our society and our moral values and which has come to the agenda in the press and broadcast organs and social media platforms, to dock a cruise ship rented by these groups at Aydın Kuşadası Port on July 7, 2026, and which has caused great discomfort in various segments of our society, has been canceled,” the Aydin governorship said in a statement posted on X.

“It is absolutely out of the question for the said group to come to our province with an organization of the specified nature,” the statement continued.

Atlantis Events said in a statement on its website that the company has “been informed by the Turkish authorities that Atlantis will not be permitted to dock in Kusadasi or Istanbul during this voyage.”

“As a result, we have had to alter our sailing itinerary somewhat,” it added.

The cruise will now stop in Alexandria, Egypt, and Crete instead, according to the company.

Atlantis CEO Rich Campbell said that Turkey would miss out on at least $1 million in tourism revenue by banning the cruise.

“The bigger damage to Turkey is when you start picking and choosing who’s allowed to enter, and your economy depends on tourism, you’re creating a standoff between tourists and yourself,” Campbell told the Washington Post. “And you run the risk of alienating a lot of potential tourists.”

According to its website, Atlantis Events was “started with the very simple idea of ‘a gay week on the beach with friends’” and developed “into a company producing all-gay cruise and resort vacations all over the world.”

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