Turkey has blocked a cruise ship carrying 2,000 LGBTQ+ passengers and Broadway star Patti LuPone from docking, with local authorities claiming the group's behaviour does not align with the country's moral values. The Virgin Voyages' Scarlet Lady set sail from Athens, Greece, on 5 July for a 10-day all-gay voyage organized by Atlantis, a US company specializing in LGBTQ+ travel.
Ship denied entry to Turkish port
The Scarlet Lady was scheduled to dock in the Turkish port town of Kuşadası on 7 July, followed by a stop in Istanbul. However, authorities in Aydin province, where Kuşadası is located, issued a statement online saying the cruise was chartered "by groups known for behaviours that do not align with the structure of our society and our moral values." The statement added that the ship's arrival had been cancelled after it "sparked significant public concern," and that "there is absolutely no possibility of the group in question visiting our province for an event of this nature."
Patti LuPone reacts with fury
Patti LuPone, the 77-year-old Tony award winner who was scheduled to perform on the ship, expressed her shock and anger on Instagram. "The Atlantis cruise I am performing on next week has been banned from entering Turkey," she wrote. "A ship – a magnificent ship – full of gay men. And me. Denied entry to Turkey simply because of who is on board. I am furious, but I am sailing, as the ship will make other ports of call. I am ready to perform for all the wonderful men on this Atlantis cruise, who deserve so much better than this."
Company shocked by decision
Rich Campbell, president and CEO of Atlantis Events, told CNN he was shocked by the decision, noting it was the first time in Atlantis's 36-year history that the company had been "actively told we may not berth here because of who we are." He said, "It's pretty stunning, to be honest. I mean, and the reasoning behind it is that it's a gay group. It's very concerning to me when a country decides they can pick and choose which tourists are allowed in and which are not." Campbell told USA Today that despite extensive calls with the US embassy in Turkey, the company had not been able "to get the Turkish authorities to move." He emphasized that "when we pull into port, the ship looks like any other ship. It's not like we're a gay pride rally, we're not a march, we're not an organisation, we're not a political statement in any way. The cruise was advertised a year ago, it's not new."
Background of discrimination
Homosexuality is not criminalised in Turkey, but homophobia is widespread, reaching the highest levels of government. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has regularly described LGBTQ+ people as "perverts" and a threat to the traditional family. Istanbul Pride, once a large event, has been banned each year since 2015 by Turkey's ruling conservative government. In 2000, the then tourism minister apologised after police prevented more than 800 gay tourists on a cruise liner from entering Kuşadası and the nearby Roman ruins at Ephesus, saying, "I hope they will complete their trip without any problems. We cannot discriminate according to people's sexual preference."
Revised itinerary
Instead of Turkey, the Scarlet Lady will now stop in Cairo and Crete. Turkish government representatives have not yet commented on the matter. Atlantis has docked gay cruises in Istanbul and Kuşadası 13 times over the last 25 years, according to Campbell.
