That Gay Cruise Ship Denied Entry Into Turkey? Egypt Just Said ‘No” Too.

I bet Gaza could use the tourist dollars, and apparently a lot of the aid money was looted by Hamas, and fancy nightclubs are springing up on the Strip. 

That was my first thought when I read that the Egyptians had followed the Turkish example of denying entry to the Virgin cruise ship hosting a gay-themed cruise. 

The Gay cruise that got rejected from Turkey is now being denied entry into… Egypt…

Are people this oblivious about the Middle East and gay rights there?

Funny thing the only country they would prob have fun in is Israel… if only they could their biases aside and go. pic.twitter.com/VXRfgttRbk

— Ben 🇮🇱🇺🇸 (@BennnnnBennnnnn) July 10, 2026

What were they thinking, scheduling a gay cruise to visit Muslim countries? It’s not that Egypt or Turkey is exactly a craphole—both have been centers of civilization at times, and neither is crushingly poor in the way that Conan O’Brien’s and Anderson Cooper’s favorite vacation destination, Haiti, is. 

Jan 2018. Democrats and the media were apoplectic over Trump’s “shithole” comments, and were engaged in a campaign to defend Haiti.

Here, Anderson Cooper explains to Conan what an “amazing,” “incredible” and “culturally rich” place it is, and how he loves to spend his weekends… pic.twitter.com/WKeqCqBZvo

— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) June 27, 2026

Jan 2018. Democrats and the media were apoplectic over Trump’s “shithole” comments, and were engaged in a campaign to defend Haiti.

Here, Anderson Cooper explains to Conan what an “amazing,” “incredible” and “culturally rich” place it is, and how he loves to spend his weekends and vacation time there.

Conan then went to Haiti and posed for the infamous “beautiful country” photo while sipping a drink out of a coconut.

Now, Dems and the media are telling you it would mean suffering or death for anyone to be sent back there.

Their narrative is wholly dependent on what is deemed to be politically useful at any given time.

Still, have these guys not heard of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is very powerful in both these countries? Or are they so enthralled with the “Queers for Gaza” propaganda that they think that all criticisms of Islam are Islamophobic propaganda?

Watching the video of that guy complaining about being excluded, and especially his threat that Patty LuPone would use her star power to shame Egypt, just emphasized how out of touch so many people are. 

They seem to assume that the big difference between the West and the Rest is that the West is dominated by hate, and everybody else lives in a nirvana of peace and love. 

Uh, no. 

🇹🇷🇪🇬 A cruise packed with nearly 2,000 LGBTQ passengers just got turned away by two countries in one week.

Turkey said no first, refusing to let the Scarlet Lady dock in Kuşadası or Istanbul over “moral values.”

So it rerouted to Egypt, which took one look and said no thanks…

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) July 10, 2026

🇹🇷🇪🇬 A cruise packed with nearly 2,000 LGBTQ passengers just got turned away by two countries in one week.

Turkey said no first, refusing to let the Scarlet Lady dock in Kuşadası or Istanbul over “moral values.”

So it rerouted to Egypt, which took one look and said no thanks too.

The organizers are calling it unprecedented and heartbreaking. 

Two Muslim-majority countries declining to host a gay mega-cruise is just about the least surprising plot twist of the summer.

I wish no ill on any of the cruise-goers, and am certainly glad that they won’t have to venture into hostile territory. But it strikes me that the one country in the Middle East they would actually be welcome and enjoy visiting is Israel, and probably 90% of the people on that cruise think that the Jews there are the bad guys. 

Although, to be fair, Bibi Netanyahu probably cares as much as Erdogan about what Patty LuPone thinks. 

Editor’s Note: Every single day, here at HotAir, we will stand up and FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT against the radical Left and deliver the conservative reporting our readers deserve.

Help us continue to tell the truth about the Trump administration and its successes. Join HotAir VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.