When you’re 77 and legendary, you don’t stay quiet when injustice walks in the door. That’s the Patti Lupone approach, anyway—and this week she made it clear she won’t tolerate discrimination, even if it means taking on an entire country.
On Friday, July 3, the iconic actress took to Instagram to announce that the Virgin Voyages’Scarlet Lady, an LGBTQ+ cruise she was scheduled to perform on from July 5 to July 15, had been denied entry to Turkey. The reason? The ship was full of gay men. In her characteristic no-nonsense style, Lupone 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.”
This isn’t some abstract controversy. This is an LGBTQ+ cruise operated by Atlantis Events called the“Athens to Venice”voyage, designed to celebrate 2,500 gay travelers with entertainment, parties, and tours across the Mediterranean. It’s a 10-day journey that was supposed to stop in Kuşadası, Turkey, among other iconic destinations. But Turkish authorities put a hard stop to that plan.
Rich Campbell, president and CEO of Atlantis Events, called it stunning—and for good reason. In 36 years of operating, this is the first time his company has been“actively told we may not berth here because of who we are.”Authorities in Turkey’s Aydın region didn’t mince words either, telling CNN that there was“absolutely no possibility of the group in question visiting our province for an event of this nature,”citing supposed“behaviors incompatible with the fabric of our society and moral values.”
The cruise has since pivoted to stop in Egypt and Crete instead, and Lupone made clear she’s still performing for what she called“wonderful men on this Atlantis cruise, who deserve so much better than this.”Campbell emphasized that Atlantis Events isn’t a political organization—they’re just there“to spend money, have a good time, take tours and be incredibly respectful to every culture we visit.”But this incident highlights something far bigger: the reality that LGBTQ+ travelers can still be blocked from certain destinations simply for who they are.
Lupone’s refusal to back down sends a message that matters. Sometimes showing up is resistance.
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.