Italian fashion luxury house Dolce & Gabbana, headed by Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, caused quite an uproar in the LGBT community after they professed that "the only family is the traditional one."
The duo, who used to have a romantic relationship with each other, talked to Panorama magazine and expressed their beliefs about marriage and procreation, saying that these things should be "natural" and not "synthetic."
"I'm not convinced by those I call the children of chemicals, synthetic children," said Dolce. "Wombs for rent, sperm chosen from a catalogue... psychiatrists are not ready to confront the effects of this experimentation."
"The only family is the traditional one. No chemical offsprings and rented uterus: life has a natural flow; there are things that should not be changed," he added.
His partner Gabbana agreed, saying that "the family is not a fad. In it there is a supernatural sense of belonging."
Singer Elton John, who is married to David Furnish and has two children with him, was enraged over the comments made by Dolce and Gabbana, and lashed out at them on his Instagram page (@eltonjohn).
"How dare you refer to my beautiful children as 'synthetic'. And shame on you for wagging your judgemental little fingers at IVF - a miracle that has allowed legions of loving people, both straight and gay, to fulfil their dream of having children. Your archaic thinking is out of step with the times, just like your fashions. I shall never wear Dolce and Gabbana ever again," he wrote, as he called for his fans to boycott the fashion house.
Gay rights activist Peter Tatchell backed Elton John in his boycott call and told The Guardian that it was outrageous for two gay men to oppose gay equality. "If they don't want to be parents that's fine, but it's deeply insulting to disparage the many same sex parents who have brought up children happily and successfully," he said.
LGBT equality group Stonewall also weighed in on the controversy. "Being a good parent has nothing to do with sexual orientation or whether a child has two mums or two dads. The important thing is a loving family, whatever it's make up," said Ruth Hunt, the group's chief executive.
Dolce and Gabbana have since responded to their critics, adding that they are anticipating a drop in sales because of their comments.
"They're saying we are against gay parenting. It's not true. Domenico only expressed his opinion about the traditional family and about In Vitro Fertilisation. If someone else wants to make different choices, fine, they are free to do it. We demand the same respect," said Gabbana, according to Corriere della Sella.
Dolce added: "I'm Sicilian and I grew up in a traditional family, made up of a mother, a father and children. I am very well aware of the fact that there are other types of families and they are as legitimate as the one I've known. But in my personal experience, family had a different configuration. That is the place where I learned the values of love and family."
