A cruise carrying thousands of LGBTQ+ passengers and Broadway singer Patti LuPone was denied entry into Turkey after local officials said in a press release that the passengers’ behaviour did not “align with the structure of our society and our moral values.”
Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady cruise was bound for Turkey from Athens after setting sail on Sunday on a 10-day excursion operated by the U.S.-based company Atlantis, which offers a range of cruises for LGBTQ+ people.
The ship was scheduled to dock at the Aydın Kuşadası Port on Tuesday, according to Turkish authorities.
“Unfortunately, we have been informed by the Turkish authorities that Atlantis will not be permitted to dock in Kuşadası or Istanbul during this voyage,” Atlantis wrote in a statement on its website.
“As a result, we have had to alter our sailing itinerary somewhat,” the statement continued, adding that other stops, including Alexandria, Egypt, and the Greek island of Crete, would remain on the schedule.
“Both ports have excellent opportunities for exploration and enjoyment and have been favourites of ours for years.”
The company’s Instagram is packed with posts of passengers soaking up the sun, attending huge parties on the ship’s top deck and enjoying all kinds of onboard shows, from standup comedy to drag.
Turkish authorities claimed in their statement that the cruise’s presence was causing “great discomfort in various segments of our society.”
“It is absolutely out of the question for the said group to come to our province with an organization of the specified nature,” it went on.
Rich Campbell, the president and chief executive of Atlantis Events, told USA Today that Atlantis has docked gay cruises in Turkey, Istanbul and Kuşadası 13 times over the past 25 years.
Global News reached out to Atlantis for a statement but did not receive a response.
Meanwhile, LuPone, a renowned Broadway singer and Tony Award winner performing on the ship, took to Instagram in protest of the Turkish authorities’ decision.
“I am shocked,” she wrote. “The Atlantis cruise I am performing on next week has been banned from entering Turkey. 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.”
Campbell told CNN that in its 36 years of operation, this was the first time authorities had “actively told us we may not berth here because of who we are.”
“It’s pretty stunning, to be honest,” he added. “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.”
In his statement to USA Today, Campbell reiterated that staff had made a concerted and continued effort to negotiate with Turkish port authorities and emphasized that the cruise was not associated with any political organization or group and was like any other ship docking in the country.
“It’s not like we’re not a gay pride rally, we’re not a march, we’re not an organization, we’re not a political statement in any way. The cruise was advertised a year ago; it’s not new,” he told the American outlet.
Homosexuality is not criminalized in Turkey, but there are no antidiscrimination laws protecting LGBTQ+ people and Pride, which used to take place every year in Istanbul, has been banned since 2015.
Based on reporting by Global News.