Turkish government blocks gay cruise carrying Americans from docking, citing ‘moral standards’

Turkish authorities have blocked an LGBTQ+ cruise carrying mostly American travelers from docking in the country, citing “moral standards” and “family values,” according to CNN.

The 10-day “Athens to Venice” cruise, organized by Atlantis Events, was scheduled to depart Greece on Sunday and stop in Kuşadası, Türkiye, two days later before continuing to Istanbul. Instead, the Virgin Voyages ship Scarlet Lady will now stop in Cairo, Egypt, and Crete, Greece, Atlantis said.

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Local authorities in Türkiye said they had canceled the “event” because the ship had been chartered by groups “known for behaviors incompatible with the fabric of our society and our moral values,” CNN reported.

The decision affects about 1,900 passengers, including roughly 1,100 from the United States, Rich Campbell, president and CEO of Atlantis Events, told the network. Other travelers are expected from the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and elsewhere.

“It’s pretty stunning, to be honest. I mean, and the reasoning behind it is that it’s a gay group,” Campbell told the network.

“It’s very concerning to me when a country decides they can pick and choose which tourists are allowed in and which are not,” he added.

Campbell said it was the first time in the company’s 36-year history that Atlantis had been “actively told we may not berth here because of who we are.” Atlantis informed passengers Thursday that the Türkiye stops had been removed “due to circumstances beyond our control,” after Turkish authorities canceled the port calls.

“This is not a political organization,” Campbell said. “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.”

Broadway legend Patti LuPone, who is scheduled to perform on the cruise, condemned the decision in an Instagram post Friday.

“I am shocked,” LuPone 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.”

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She added, “I am ready to perform for all the wonderful men on this Atlantis cruise, who deserve so much better than this.”

The post quickly drew support online, including from Broadway actor Andrew Rannells, who commented with heart emojis. Another commenter, who identified themself as part of Türkiye’s LGBTQ+ community, wrote that the country’s queer community is “so vast” and “so gigantic,” but remains treated by authorities “as if [it is] not even a house.”

Atlantis Events, based in West Hollywood, has built a lucrative business around large-scale LGBTQ+ cruises, many of which are marketed as vacation spaces for gay men and floating nightlife festivals. But some of its chartered sailings have also come under scrutiny for passenger safety.

The Advocate reported in February that nine passengers were arrested at PortMiami while trying to board an Atlantis-chartered Royal Caribbean cruise after authorities said drugs including MDMA, GHB, and cocaine were found in luggage. In 2024, The Advocate also reported that a passenger unexpectedly died aboard Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas during an Atlantis-chartered cruise. Royal Caribbean said at the time that the death was “unexpected and not suspicious.” The Advocate has reported on other deaths connected to Atlantis-chartered sailings, including a 2022 death aboard the same ship and a 2020 case in which a Florida man died after jumping from the Oasis of the Seas in Puerto Rico.

The port ban also comes as LGBTQ+ advocates warn that Turkey is considering an even broader legal crackdown. Human Rights Watch reported in June that Turkish media had described proposed amendments circulated by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government that would further criminalize LGBTQ+ people, including prison sentences of up to three years for vaguely defined “attitudes and behaviors contrary to biological sex and public morality” or for praising or promoting such conduct.