I don’t want to seem rude, but if I were on an LGBTQ cruise ship, Turkey and Egypt would unfortunately be places I choose not to visit.
I fully think they should be allowed to dock and do their thing, and that nobody should be discriminated against for their sexuality.
However, there are many places in this world that are sadly still unsafe and still living in the fiction that if you just suppress people enough they’ll not exist.
It is absolutely wrong that anyone is discriminated against or turned away for their sexual preferences, etc. But like you said, if I were on that ship (even as a non-LGBTQ person) I wouldn’t want to go near those countries out of concern for everyone’s safety.
I have no horse in this race, but pointing out how stupid and petty and evil suppressing people is by telling these stories is how we change the world.
(And also, you’re getting close to the “they asked for it because they knew it could happen” territory, might be worth taking a moment to contemplate who that feeling serves.)
There’s a weird duality to many of these countries - like it’s not illegal to be gay in either culture, but citizens can expect trouble if they form community. Whereas tourists are given free rein to be Western in tourist areas, and that means smiling as they take queer money. This tourist-friendly side can sometimes fuel local culture, giving it a place to exist safely.
But yeah I don’t spend my money in places like this.
On the other hand, a cruise ship getting turned away is a great way to draw attention to the blatantly bad policies that exist in those countries. Turning away a ship that big is a slap in the face to local businesses, it’s a meaningful moment to create. If that was their goal.
I don’t want to seem rude, but if I were on an LGBTQ cruise ship, Turkey and Egypt would unfortunately be places I choose not to visit.
I fully think they should be allowed to dock and do their thing, and that nobody should be discriminated against for their sexuality.
However, there are many places in this world that are sadly still unsafe and still living in the fiction that if you just suppress people enough they’ll not exist.
It is absolutely wrong that anyone is discriminated against or turned away for their sexual preferences, etc. But like you said, if I were on that ship (even as a non-LGBTQ person) I wouldn’t want to go near those countries out of concern for everyone’s safety.
Imagine being LGBTQ and having to live there!
I have no horse in this race, but pointing out how stupid and petty and evil suppressing people is by telling these stories is how we change the world.
(And also, you’re getting close to the “they asked for it because they knew it could happen” territory, might be worth taking a moment to contemplate who that feeling serves.)
And nothing of value is missed.
There’s a weird duality to many of these countries - like it’s not illegal to be gay in either culture, but citizens can expect trouble if they form community. Whereas tourists are given free rein to be Western in tourist areas, and that means smiling as they take queer money. This tourist-friendly side can sometimes fuel local culture, giving it a place to exist safely.
But yeah I don’t spend my money in places like this.
On the other hand, a cruise ship getting turned away is a great way to draw attention to the blatantly bad policies that exist in those countries. Turning away a ship that big is a slap in the face to local businesses, it’s a meaningful moment to create. If that was their goal.