Patti LuPone 'furious' after Turkish authorities ban American LGBTQ+ cruise from docking

Patti LuPone is "furious" after learning that her upcoming LGBTQ+ cruise has been banned from stopping in Turkey.

On Thursday, the CEO of Atlantis Events revealed that the upcoming Mediterranean cruise would no longer make two stops in Turkey as the country's authorities had barred the vessel from docking there.

Reacting to the news, the stage actress, singer and gay icon, who is set to perform on the vessel, issued a statement on Instagram on Friday.

"I am shocked," the Sunset Boulevard star 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. I am ready to perform for the wonderful men on this Atlantis cruise, who deserve so much better than this."

The 10-day "Athens to Venice" cruise is scheduled to depart from Greece on 5 July. It was expected to dock in the Turkish port town of Kusadasi two days later, followed by a stop in Istanbul. The organisers have now changed the itinerary so the ship will now stop in Cairo, Egypt and on the Greek island of Crete instead.

Rich Campbell, the president and CEO of Atlantis Events, told CNN on Thursday that Turkish authorities cancelled the stops citing "moral standards" and "family values". The local authorities reportedly said the vessel was chartered by groups "known for behaviours incompatible with the fabric of our society and our moral values".

"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 told the outlet, adding that it was the first time in 36 years that the company has been "actively told we may not berth here because of who we are".