Gay Cruise, starring Patti LuPone, Denied Entry into Turkey — Page 2

If you have a cruise ship full of LGBTQ+ passengers, why would you send them to a country (Turkey) that probably would not be overly welcoming?  Are these issues/possibilities not worked out in advance?

Instead, put a friendly port of call on the agenda.  Valencia, Spain, comes to mind.  Currently hosting the World Gay Games.  Can't get much more LGBTQ+ friendly than that.

  

Updated On: 7/3/26 at 05:59 PM

Highland Guy said: "If you have a cruise ship full of LGBTQ+ passengers, why would you send them to a country (Turkey) that probably would not be overly welcoming? Are these issues/possibilities not worked out in advance?

Instead, put a friendly port of call on the agenda. Valencia, Spain, comes to mind. Currently hosting the World Gay Games. Can't get much friendlier than that."
 

This particular cruise has apparently docked in Istanbul 13 times since 2000. So it has docked there before without issue and presumably had information they could this time as well.

But events have been changing. This article about 50 people being arrested at a recent Pride event notes:

"Separately, Turkish authorities on Saturday ordered an Istanbul gay bar to close over unspecified violations following protests by Islamist groups against its owner.

The closure came after Islamist groups launched a campaign on social media against a planned cruise ship tour aimed at LGBT+ travellers. They claimed the Turkish leg of the programme was being organised by Mustafa Dogan Yilmaz, the bar's owner.

The ship had been scheduled to dock in Istanbul on July 8."

 

So yes, the cruise was intended to stop here, an event was planned at a bar in conjunction with the cruise being there, people started protesting the bar because of it, and perhaps unsurprisingly, the government cracked down on the bar, and now the cruise. This has been building for a while.

 

Updated On: 7/3/26 at 06:06 PM

MemorableUserName said: "Highland Guy said: "If you have a cruise ship full of LGBTQ+ passengers, why would you send them to a country (Turkey) that probably would not be overly welcoming? Are these issues/possibilities not worked out in advance?

Instead, put a friendly port of call on the agenda. Valencia, Spain, comes to mind. Currently hosting the World Gay Games. Can't get much friendlier than that."


This particular cruise has apparently docked in Istanbul 13 times since 2000. So it has docked there before without issue and presumably had information they could this time as well.

But events have been changing. This articleabout 50 people being arrested at a recent Pride event notes:

"Separately, Turkish authorities on Saturday ordered an Istanbul gay bar to close over unspecified violations following protests by Islamist groups against its owner.

The closure came after Islamist groups launched a campaign on social media against a planned cruise ship tour aimed at LGBT+ travellers. They claimed the Turkish leg of the programme was being organised by Mustafa Dogan Yilmaz, the bar's owner.

The ship had been scheduled to dock in Istanbul on July 8."



So yes, the cruise was intended to stop here, an event was planned at a bar in conjunction with the cruise being there, people started protesting the bar because of it, and perhaps unsurprisingly, the government cracked down on the bar, and now the cruise. This has been building for a while."

 

I read that the Pride Parade was "dispersed" in 2015 and looks like they have been banned ever since. Curious as to the last time the ship docked there. 

 

gibsons2 said: "European gays travel to Turkey quite a bit."

I don't doubt that, but I can acknowledge that traveling singularly, or as a family allows for much more anonymity re: sexual orientation - whether intentionally, or not - than traveling as (literally) a boatload of Gays.

gibsons2 also said: "It's a secular country, part of EU and NATO."

A secular country where "honor killing" is considered justifiable by some (a minority of) citizens. Ahmet Yıldız was murdered in 2008 as an honor killing by his father Yahya Yıldız (the first known case of an anti-gay honor killing in Turkey). 

gibsons2 also said: "Idk what's the situation there now [...]"

It's very easy to do an internet search to find out.

I used the word, "iffy" as there are divisive standards (e.g., it is not illegal to identify as LGBTQ+ in Turkey, but there are no laws that protect the community from discrimination or physical harm, either. People outside big cities may hold negative attitudes towards members of the LGBTQ+ community, but that’s not to say the major areas are liberal havens, either).

And gibsons2 said: "[...] given far right swings everywhere in Europe and western world in general. I suppose Turkey feels emboldened too now that LGBTQ right are being dismantled everywhere."

I don't think it's reasonable to draw a conclusion that Turkey's views are resultant of "swings everywhere in Europe and western world in general" since it's pretty clear that Turkey has held their current views on LGBTQ+ citizens for well over a decade, and even earlier.

Updated On: 7/3/26 at 07:53 PM

TheatreFan4 said: "Highland Guy said: "If you have a cruise ship full of LGBTQ+ passengers, why would you send them to a country (Turkey) that probably would not be overly welcoming? Are these issues/possibilities not worked out in advance?

Instead, put a friendly port of call on the agenda. Valencia, Spain, comes to mind. Currently hosting the World Gay Games. Can't get much more LGBTQ+ friendly than that.

"

Because Gay Cruises tend to not be gay EXCLUSIVE Cruises, with some exclusions primarily Circuit Party Cruises. They're among multiple groups that have contracted to be on that given ship with their own guests, events, and rates. Its like renting a section of a hotel for your convention, but it's a cruise ship."

 

I don't do cruises but a lot of my friends do gay cruises. I just always thought everyone on the ship was gay for them. 

With this information it sucks that if this was not a totally gay cruises, the other passengers that may have been looking forward to this port on the cruise will now not be able to go. But it also seems that if the bar was not having an event, this may not have happened. So I am still wondering the last time this ship has stopped there, if they had gay passengers and if events were planned for them.

Did some research after posting. Atlantis typically does all gay cruises.

 

Updated On: 7/3/26 at 09:13 PM