Rosie O’Donnell has made her first trip to Sundance with her documentary All Aboard! Rosie’s Family Cruise. Commissioned by HBO, the film profiles gay families onboard the 2004 cruise from New York to the Caribbean organized by Rosie and her partner, Kelli. The first-ever cruise to cater to gay families, it proved a huge success and was smooth sailing for most of the journey. Unfortunately, there was trouble ahoy when the ship docked in Nassau, Bahamas. Waiting for them was a brigade of right-wing Christians picketing the ship of “butt pirates and muff divers” as it made its port o’ call to their island. One of the film crew – a straight male – says the protesters gave him wide berth once he came ashore stating, “They were afraid if they touched me they’d get the ‘gay spirit’.”
Check out this montage clip of Rosie in 2005’s Riding The Bus With My Sister.
– Frank Rehwaldt