Turkey has blocked a cruise ship carrying 2,000 LGBTQ+ passengers and the Broadway performer Patti LuPone from docking in the port town of Kuşadası, with local authorities stating that the group's behaviour did not "align with the structure of our society and our moral values".
Ship's itinerary disrupted
Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady set sail from Athens, Greece, on 5 July for what was billed as "an epic all-gay voyage" over 10 days, organised by Atlantis, a US company that specialises in LGBTQ+ cruises and vacations. The ship was scheduled to dock in Kuşadası on 7 July, followed by a trip to Istanbul. However, authorities in Turkey’s Aydin province, where Kuşadası is located, published a statement online cancelling the ship's arrival, citing "significant public concern" over the charter.
Rich Campbell, the president and chief executive of Atlantis Events, told USA Today that Atlantis has docked gay cruises in Istanbul and Kuşadası 13 times in the last 25 years without incident. He expressed shock at the decision, calling it "pretty stunning" and noting that it was the first time in the company's 36-year history that it had been "actively told we may not berth here because of who we are".
Patti LuPone's reaction
Patti LuPone, the 77-year-old Tony award winner performing on the ship, shared her fury on Instagram on Saturday. "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."
Background and context
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 vibrant event with thousands of marchers, has been banned each year since 2015 by Turkey’s ruling conservative government.
This is not the first time a gay cruise has faced issues in Turkey. In 2000, the then tourism minister Erkan Mumcu apologised after police prevented more than 800 gay tourists on a cruise liner from entering Kuşadası and the nearby Roman ruins at Ephesus. "I hope they will complete their trip without any problems," Mumcu said at the time. "We cannot discriminate according to people’s sexual preference."
Impact and response
Campbell told CNN that the company had been unable to "get the Turkish authorities to move" despite extensive calls with the US embassy in Turkey. He emphasised that the ship looks like any other when pulling into port and that the cruise was advertised a year ago. "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," he said.
As a result of the ban, the Scarlet Lady will now stop in Cairo and Crete instead of Turkey. Representatives of the Turkish government have yet to comment on the matter.
