Patti LuPone ‘Furious’ After She Learns LGBTQ+ Cruise She’s Set to Perform on Is Banned from Traveling Through Turkey
Patti LuPone ‘Furious’ After She Learns LGBTQ+ Cruise She’s Set to Perform on Is Banned from Traveling Through Turkey
Desiree AnelloFri, July 3, 2026 at 3:18 PM UTC
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Patti LuPone; Virgin Voyages' Scarlet Lady cruise shipCredit: Olivia Wong/Getty; Alamy -
Patti LuPone said she is “furious” after an LGBTQ+ cruise she is scheduled to perform on was allegedly banned from entering Turkey
“A ship — a magnificent ship — full of well-heeled gay men. And me. Denied entry to Turkey simply because of who is on board,” she wrote on social media on Friday, July 3
The president and CEO of Atlantis Events also claimed that this is the first time in 36 years that the company was “actively told we may not berth here because of who we are”
Patti LuPone was left “furious” after an LGBTQ+ cruise she is scheduled to perform on was allegedly banned from entering Turkey.
On Friday, July 3, the 77-year-old Broadway star shared that she was “shocked” to learn that the gay cruise aboard Virgin Voyages' Scarlet Lady, on which she is scheduled to perform from July 5 to July 15, has been denied entry into the West Asian country.
“A ship — a magnificent ship — full of well-heeled gay men. And me. Denied entry to Turkey simply because of who is on board," LuPone wrote on Instagram. "I am furious, but I am sailing, as the ship will make other ports of call.”
Patti LuPone at 'Another Simple Favor' PremiereCredit: John Nacion/Variety via Getty
“I am ready to perform for all the wonderful men on this Atlantis cruise, who deserve so much better than this,” she added.
Atlantis Events, Virgin Voyages and Turkey's Ministry of Culture and Tourism did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
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The president and CEO of Atlantis Events, Rich Campbell, told CNN that the reason why the “Athens to Venice” cruise will no longer be stopping at the Turkish port town of Kuşadası is simply because "a gay group” will be on board.
“It's pretty stunning, to be honest,” he told the outlet. “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 also claimed that the latest incident marks the first time in 36 years that the company was “actively told we may not berth here because of who we are.”
Virgin Voyages' Scarlet Lady cruise shipCredit: Gerard Bottino/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty
Authorities in Turkey's Aydın province stated that there was “absolutely no possibility of the group in question visiting our province for an event of this nature,” claiming that the ship was chartered by groups “known for behaviors incompatible with the fabric of our society and moral values," the outlet reported.
The 10-day cruise is advertised as “an epic all-gay voyage from Athens to Venice to the Mediterranean's most iconic destinations — Mykonos, Santorini, Istanbul, Dubrovnik, and more,” per Atlantis Events' Instagram. “We'll dazzle 2500 guys with stellar entertainment, the world's best parties, and awesome experiences aboard Virgin's Scarlet Lady.”
While the cruise will now stop in Cairo, Egypt, and the Greek island of Crete instead of Turkey, Campbell went on to emphasize that his company has no intentions of being or acting like a “political organization.”
As he put it, “We are not there for anything except to spend money, have a good time, take tours and be incredibly respectful to every culture we visit.”
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
