Target: Tom McAlpin, CEO of Virgin Voyages
Goal: Limit discriminatory incidents experienced by cruise ship passengers.
A Pride festival in Berlin was the site of tragedy when a vehicle plowed into a crowd of revelers, killing one person and injuring over two dozen more. A suspect is in custody. The incident is the most extreme and violent recent attack against the LGBTQ+ community, but it is far from the only one. A few weeks prior, a Virgin Voyages cruise ship carrying nearly 2,000 passengers (most of whom were part of said community) – along with singer Patti LuPone — was turned away by two countries.
Despite neither nation having laws explicitly banning homosexual acts, both Egypt and Turkey officials denied the ship entry at their ports, citing claims of refusal such as “family values” and “moral standards.” The problem is not new, as the first incident involving cruise ship bans aimed at LGBTQ+ passengers occurred nearly 40 years ago. Several instances have unfolded in the interim, with the latest incident marking the first time it has occurred with two countries in the same week.
Sign the petition below to urge the cruise industry to push back against these policies and support all its passengers.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Mr. McAlpin,
Three-quarters of LGBTQ+ cruise ship passengers report preferences for cruising experiences with inclusive policies. The rise in anti-discrimination policies within this industry signals such concerns are being heard. But the recent high-profile incident involving port refusals of the Scarlet Lady is a step back.
This incident marred an otherwise positive experience for nearly 2,000 passengers and received negative press. With a long and unfortunate legacy of such discrimination, it is time for the cruise industry to take a stand. Ensure that destinations are open to all passengers, or else draw a hard line about doing business with those destinations. And do not roll back – but rather promote and grow – the kind of policies that will make your cruises the trip of a lifetime rather than the humiliation of a lifetime for customers spending their hard-earned money.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Anthony Quintano
