As more people join the “#BoycottDolceGabanna” movement Elton John started after the famous designers said children born from IVF are “synthetic” and knocked gay adoption,Stefano Gabanna is firing back.
As Extreme Entertainment reported, Stefano Gabanna and Domenico Dolce, both openly gay, did a recent interview in which they slammed gay adoption and those who have “chemical offsprings” through a “rented uterus.” John, a parent to two sons with husband David Furnish, blasted the designers for their remarks, writing on Instagram, “Your archaic thinking is out of step with the times, just like your fashions. I shall never wear Dolce and Gabbana ever again.” He encouraged a boycott of the Dolce & Gabanna brand, a cause that’s been taken up by fellow celebrities ranging from Ricky Martin to Victoria Beckham, as well as a groundswell of people on social media.
But now Gabanna is turning the tables, accusing John of being in the wrong. “I didn’t expect this, coming from someone whom I considered, and I stress ‘considered,’ an intelligent person like Elton John,” Gabanna tells Corriere della Sera in an interview. He continues, “I mean, you preach understanding, tolerance and then you attack others? Only because someone has a different opinion? Is this a democratic or enlightened way of thinking? This is ignorance, because he ignores the fact that others might have a different opinion and that theirs is as worthy of respect as his.”
Asked if he’s personally spoken to John about the issue, Gabbana replies, “That would be useless! It’s an authoritiarian way of seeing the world: agree with me or, if you don’t, I’ll attack you. I even posted the word ‘Fascist!’ on his Instagram.” And that’s not all. Gabanna also began using the “#BoycottEltonJohn” hashtag, though it’s not something he plans to carry out. “I was annoyed for a moment. It would be ridiculous. Either you like somebody’s songs or you don’t. When you go to the greengrocer’s, you don’t make sure that he agrees with your views on IVF. You just want to know if he has fresh products,” says the fashion maven.
He goes on, “This whole [boycotting Dolce & Gabanna] campaign came up online. It was created by a group of gay activists who put into our mouths words we never said. It became bigger and bigger. We are not boycotting and we will not boycott anyone. It’s like people who go to a football game to insult their opponents. That doesn’t make any sense. That’s preposterous.”
In fact, Gabanna seems most angry at what he perceives to be the twisting of his and Dolce’s original interview. “Nobody actually read the interview! It would have been enough to read it with an open mind to realize that this whole racket is based on nothing. The interview was used as an excuse to put into our mouths words we never really said. We are about freedom. Anyone can make the choices they want,” he complains. “Domenico has his ideas, he made some choices. Elton John made different choices. Different choices, different lives. Equal respect. What I see, particularly online, is a lot of gay people who are homophobic: gay people who will attack other gay people who express ideas that are different from theirs.”
Gabanna further says of himself and Dolce, who used to be a couple, “We have always lived our sexuality privately, we have never shouted it out. They’re just putting words into our mouths, now. 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 fertilization. If someone else wants to make different choices, fine, they are free to do it. We demand the same respect.”
The Italian designer reportedly smiles when considering whether the controversy will hurt his company’s sales. “Maybe,” he says. “We’ll lose some Elton John fans, maybe we’ll get some more mums. Who knows.” True, that remains to be seen. One high-profile, and now former, Dolce & Gabbana shopper, however, is already ridding himself of the company’s clothing in a big way.
Late Monday, Andy Cohen started an Ebay auction for his Dolce & Gabanna suit, with the proceeds going to the Family Equality Council, which supports LGBTQ parents. “Even though I loved this suit, it wouldn’t be any fun for me to wear it again, but it will be so much fun for me to have you wear it, knowing that we were able to support an amazing cause while also screwing Dolce & Gabbana out of at least one sale,” explained the TV personality. The current bid is up to $1,025, more than double Cohen’s original asking price. TELL US: What do you think of the controversy?
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