Dolce & Gabbana defend their views on IVF, call boycott ‘medieval’
Embattled Italian fashionistas Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce say they respect how everyone lives – but are still defending their views on kids born through in-vitro fertilization.
The D&G founders sparked a backlash last week – most notably a boycott call from singer Elton John – for their opposition to gay families and view that kids born to gay couples via IVF are “synthetic.”
In an interview with CNN Wednesday, Gabbana questioned calls by Sir John and others to boycott D&G.
“Boycott Dolce & Gabbana for what? They don’t think like you? This is correct? This is not correct. We are in 2015. This is like medieval. It’s not correct,” Gabbana told CNN.
Dolce said his stance was based on his Sicilian upbringing.
“I believe in the traditional family,” he said. “It is impossible to change my culture for something different. It’s me … I respect all the world, all the culture.”
He said he doesn’t judge those conceiving through IVF – though he told the Italian magazine Panorama that children should be born to a mother and father.
“I call children of chemistry, synthetic children. Rented wombs, semen chosen from a catalog,” he told the magazine.
John lashed back at the duo on Instagram on Sunday.
“How dare you refer to my beautiful children as ‘synthetic,’” wrote the singer, who has two kids with husband David Furnish via IVF. “Your archaic thinking is out of step with the times, just like your fashions. I shall never wear Dolce and Gabbana ever again. #BoycottDolceGabbana.”
Gabbana on Wednesday seemed to differ with Dolce about IVF when asked about people using the procedure to have kids.
“Yeah, I don’t have anything bad, because the beauty of the world is freedom,” Gabbana told CNN.
Some viewed the gay pair – who were romantically involved until 2005 – as hypocritical but Gabbana again defended their views.
“We love gay couple. We are gay. We love gay couple. We love gay adoption. We love everything. It’s just an express of my private point of view,” he said.
Dolce argued that everyone has a right to choose what they want.
“This for me is democracy. I respect you because you choose what you want. I respect me because I choose what I want… This just my point of private view,” he said.
And as far as his newfound nemesis, Dolce quipped: “I love the music of Elton John.”
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