Gays, couples with fertility issues shouldn’t have kids

Mar 16, 2015 11:46 GMT  ·  By
Dolce & Gabbana is under boycott after designers say IVF-conceived children are “synthetic”
   Dolce & Gabbana is under boycott after designers say IVF-conceived children are “synthetic”

Dolce & Gabbana is under boycott right now, after designer duo Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana went public with their views on modern families, particularly how the institution of family should remain traditional: with a mother and a father, with children born without assistance from modern medicine, 100 percent naturally.

Dolce and Gabbana were a couple for 23 years and split in 2005. Shortly after the split, Gabbana disclosed that he had asked a female friend to be a surrogate mother for his child, while saying that he did not think it would be suitable for his own kid to be raised by 2 gay men. He was already in a new relationship.

Their most recent comments have struck a chord with celebrities and non-celebrities, with singer Sir Elton John leading the way with the boycott.

“Synthetic” children

According to Dolce and Gabbana, couples who have fertility issues or gay couples wanting to become parents are part of the problem, by turning to IVF to do what nature would or could not do. The quotes come via The Telegraph, from an interview with an Italian publication.

The product of man’s interference with nature was, in their view, “children of chemistry, synthetic children. Uteruses for rent, semen chosen from a catalog,” Gabbana said.

Added Dolce, “I am gay, I cannot have a child. I guess you cannot have everything in life. Life has a natural course, some things cannot be changed. One is the family.”

The traditional family has been under a lot of pressure in recent years, but in their opinion, the best reason why it should stay unchanged is this: this is how the world works. This is how nature works and man shouldn’t meddle.

Procreation is an act of love and children should be raised by a married man and woman. Children adopted or born to gay couples through surrogacy, but also children born to couples with fertility issues through IFV are abominations, they claim.

Instant reaction, outrage

Singer Sir Elton John was one of the first high-profile figures to react to this. John is married to his longtime civil partner David Furnish and together they have 2 boys born through surrogacy, and obviously, he didn’t take it too kindly to read that someone as famous as these 2 designers was calling his children “synthetic.”

In a post to his Instagram page, he told them that their antiquated notions of what family was were doing damage to couples struggling for equality, but also to straight couples who had benefitted from the miracle of IFV and had become parents.

He urged for a boycott against the fashion house, and in almost no time, celebrities had already rallied up with him. Some of the biggest names who took to social media to voice their anger include Ricky Martin, “Glee” creator Ryan Murphy, and rocker Courtney Love.

The boycott also includes people who are not famous, who were offended by the comments. There’s already a trend with Twitter and Instagram users posting photos of D&G products they tossed in the trash can as a result of #boycottdolcegabbana. Others are even more on-point, posting photos of their IVF-conceived “synthetic” children.

In a statement to the media, Dolce and Gabbana claimed their intention was never to offend, adding that the “other types of families” they’d known throughout the years are as “legitimate” as the traditional kind they’re so keen on defending.  

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. #BoycottDolceGabbana A photo posted by Elton John (@eltonjohn) on Mar 14, 2015 at 10:29pm PDT

I just round up all my Dolce & Gabbana items and want to burn them. I'm just beyond words and emotions. Boycott senseless bigotry! #boycottD&G A photo posted by Courtney Love Cobain (@courtneylove) on Mar 14, 2015 at 9:23pm PDT