Patti LuPone revealed that the LGBTQ+ cruise ship she was performing on was banned from entering Türkiye.
The Tony Award winner took to Instagram to share her shock at the news. LuPone is scheduled to perform aboard Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady ship, which sails from July 5 to July 15.
“I am shocked. The Atlantis cruise I will be on next week has been banned from entering Türkiye,” she wrote. “A ship – a wonderful ship – full of gay men. And I was banned from entering Turkey simply because of who was on board.”
“I’m angry,” LuPone continued, “but I’m sailing, as the ship will stop at other ports. And I’m ready to perform for all the fine men on this Atlantis voyage, who deserve so much better than this.”
Rich Campbell, president and CEO of Atlantis Events, told CNN he was surprised by Türkiye’s decision.
“Honestly, it’s pretty amazing. I mean, the reason for that is because it’s a gay group,” Campbell said. “It’s very concerning to me when a country decides they can pick and choose which tourists they allow in and which ones they don’t.”
Additionally, Campbell said this is the first time in 36 years that the company has been “effectively told that we may not dock here because of who we are.”
The cruise was described as “an epic gay voyage from Athens to Venice to the most popular destinations in the Mediterranean – Mykonos, Santorini, Istanbul, Dubrovnik, and more. We will wow 2,500 men with premium entertainment, the best parties in the world, and incredible experiences on board Virgin Scarlet Lady” in a May Instagram post by Atlantis.
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