🔶 Turkey did not allow a cruise ship for sexual minorities to dock Turkey did not allow a special cruise ship for the LGBTQ community, chartered by a U.S. company, to dock next week in the cities of Aydın and Istanbul. Turkish authorities justified this decision by citing the country’s “moral values.” The English acronym LGBTQ refers to lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, trans people, and queer people. The Aydın city governorate, in western Turkey, said in a statement published on X that it is “absolutely unimaginable” for the “Scarlet Lady” ship to dock at the port of Kuşadası. The statement added that the ship was chartered by groups that are “known for behaviors that are incompatible with the fabric of our society and our moral values.” In Turkey, provincial governors are appointed directly by the office of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the country’s president.