14 DAY TRIAL // The Chairman of the Italian pasta company Barilla Pasta is in extremely hot waters right now, after he made a comment about how he’d never feature gays in their commercials because they respect the “concept of the sacred family.”
In response to the controversial comment, Guido Barilla has posted an apology on his Facebook page.
Unlike is usually the case, he doesn’t claim to have been misquoted or that his words got lost in translation: he simply writes the exact opposite of what he said in the offensive interview.
“With reference to my statements yesterday to the press, I apologize if my words have offended some people. For clarity I would like to point out that I have the deepest respect for all people, without distinction of any kind,” Barilla writes.
A more picky reader might notice that he’s not exactly apologizing for what he said, but rather “if” his words were deemed offensive by some. Semantics, you know.
“I have the utmost respect for gays and freedom of expression. I also said, and repeat, that I have respect for marriages between people of the same gender. Barilla in its advertising has always chosen to represent the family because this is the symbol of hospitality and love for everyone,” Barilla continues.
As noted above, this is the exact opposite of what he’d said just hours before, in an interview with radio station La Zanzara, when asked if he’d ever consider showing a gay couple in Barilla ads.
“I would never do an advert with a gay family… if the gays don’t like it they can go and eat another brand... For us the concept of the sacred family remains one of the fundamental values of the company... Everyone has the right to do what they want without disturbing those around them…,” he said, as cited by The Independent.
Reactions to the comment have been, as expected, extremely virulent.