Straight Couple Sues for Gay Cruise

A straight Italian couple is suing a cruise line for accidentally booking them on Italy's first all-gay cruise.

The unnamed middle-aged couple was booked for three nights aboard a Grimaldi Lines ship from Civitavecchia to Barcelona. They said that when they saw media crews at the dock they thought a celebrity was on the ship. They only later found that it was a cruise for gay men.

Their lawyer, Antonio Francesconi, told the Daily Mail that the suit isn't because they are homophobic but due to "lost satisfaction because no one had told them their holiday was at the same time as the gay cruise."

Francesconi said the couple was not notified that they would be on a gay cruise. They said they were embarrassed because they bumped into some people they knew who were not out to them, "which was uncomfortable for all parties," Francesconi said. They are suing for approximately $4,500 U.S.

Alessio De Giorgio, one of the cruise organizers, said, "This is a clear case of homophobia. Nothing scandalous happened. It's a clear example of how prevalent homophobia is in this country."