Snaps to you, drag queens. Looks like you will be allowed to dress in drag on your drag queen-themed cruise vacation after all...
A founder of the travel company that organized the trip, ALandCHUCK.travel took to the company Facebook page to defend Carnival's decision, saying the no-drag policy was intended, not to "marginalize" gay men, but to combat terrorists.
"Carnival's 'no costumes rule' is NOT meant to be an insult to the gay community. As a gay business, we would not have organized this cruise if they were prejudiced against gay people. This rule goes for both GAY and STRAIGHT passengers that travel on all Carnival cruises. It is in response to the post-911 world we live in. It is meant to protect passengers and guests - NOT to marginalize a few.'
The news went over about as well as a fun-time drag queen cruise without any drag queens on board. Carnival and ALandCHUCK.travel 's Facebook pages were inundated with comments, accusing the former of "bigotry" and the latter of "cowardice." Many people pointed out that Carnival does allow costumes to be worn in public on Halloween (with the caveat that no fake weapons are allowed).
Following the outcry, Carnival tripped all over its platform high heels to explain that it loves drag queens and the legal tender they use to pay for vacations aboard the high seas. In a letter posted on their Facebook page, the company blamed ALandCHUCK.travel's presentation for the mix up, saying they were advised that only performers would be dressed in drag during private events.
Carnival explained that, in light of the miscommunication, anyone wishing to dress in drag will be permitted to do so, as long as they carry (and resemble the picture in) their government-issed photo ID.
