The protesters, led by Christian pastors, gathered in a square in front of the cruise terminal and chanted: “Gay ways are not God’s ways!” As a trickle of passengers stepped out, protesters held signs reading: If You’re Openly Gay, Stay Away and We Will Not Bow to the Gay Agenda! <\/P>
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Former talk show host Rosie O’Donnell, a cruise promoter, was aboard the Norwegian Dawn but wasn’t among those who disembarked. <\/P>
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Gregg Kominsky, a founder of cruise organizer R Family Vacations, said the passengers – 1,150 adults and 450 children – had come to have fun and that on previous trips he found most Bahamians friendly and welcoming. <\/P>
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“We are not really here to make a statement,” he said. <\/P>
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Kominsky said he was disappointed by the protest but people have a right to their opinions. <\/P>
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As the first passengers stepped out, shouting protesters pressed to within a metre of them. Police stepped in to move demonstrators back. <\/P>
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“We will never accept your lifestyle,” said Pastor William Hanchell, who stood on a stage and spoke. <\/P>
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“We don’t care how much money they bring. The Bahamas is off-limits,” said another, Pastor Vaughan Miller. <\/P>
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Organizers said the demonstration was intended to be peaceful and there were no arrests. <\/P>
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Homosexuals have faced icy receptions in the Caribbean before. A number of islands have laws banning homosexual sex and many countries remain socially conservative. <\/P>
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In 1998, a protest was held in the Bahamas when a ship arrived with lesbian passengers. That same year, the Cayman Islands turned away a gay cruise following protests. <\/P>
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Friday’s demonstration was held by a group calling itself Save the Bahamas, which led an earlier anti-cruise rally with several hundred people Sunday. <\/P>
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The U.S. Embassy issued a statement Thursday saying the mostly American passengers deserved the right to visit in peace. <\/P>
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While scores of passengers disembarked, many stayed on the ship. <\/P>
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O’Donnell’s partner, Kelli O’Donnell, got off and greeted members of the Bahamas’ Rainbow Alliance, a gay and lesbian group. She helped found R Family Vacations, which promoted the seven-day cruise that began in New York City on Sunday and also made stops in Florida. <\/P>
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Passengers Stacey and Jessie Paris, of New Jersey, said they didn’t feel welcome on their first trip to the Bahamas. <\/P>
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“It’s very, very sad,” Stacey Paris said. <\/P>
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She came with her biological daughter, 15-month-old Torin, and adopted son, Zion, four. <\/P>
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When reporters asked how they felt about the protest, Stacey turned to Zion, who was wearing a T-shirt that read Let My Parents Marry, and asked: “What do we call people like that?”<\/P>
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He replied: “Narrow-minded,” and hugged Paris. <\/P>
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When the couple tried to walk through the protest, pushing a stroller, protesters told them to avoid the area and they did. <\/P>
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After a five-hour stop, the ship left for New York. <\/P>
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