(refiling to correct typo in lead).
Domenico Dolce on Monday responded
to the firestorm that erupted at the weekend after Elton John
initiated a boycott against Dolce and Gabbana, following Dolce's
comments that children born from in vitro fertilization were
"chemical children" and "synthetic", and that surrogate mothers
were "rented uteruses".
"I'm Sicilian and I grew up with a traditional family
model, made up of a mother, father and children. I grew up this
way, but that doesn't mean I don't approve of other choices. I
spoke for myself, without judging the choices of others," Dolce
said in a statement from Thailand where he is vacationing with
his business partner Stefano Gabbana.
The media controversy blew up at the weekend following
comments Dolce made in an interview with Italian weekly
newsmagazine Panorama, where he said "the only family is a
traditional family", which he defined as a child born from a
mother and a father without IVF or a surrogate mother.
Elton John launched a boycott of the label in a post from
his Instagram account, in which he said, "How dare you refer to
my beautiful children as "synthetic". And shame on you for
wagging your judgmental 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".
Other celebrities including Ricky Martin, who has twin sons
born from a surrogate mother, and Martina Navratilova, who
recently wed her girlfriend, also joined the outcry with tweets
in support of Elton John's boycott.
Courtney Love tweeted that she wanted to burn all her D&G
clothes.
Stefano Gabbana, responding on his Instagram account Monday
morning, called the boycott "craziness" and an example of
intolerance.
"It's as if I'd boycott Elton John because he had two
children with in vitro!! I'm not an idiot!!!" Gabbana wrote on
his Instagram page.
Dolce and Gabbana have touted their idea of the traditional
family in their recent runway shows, featuring a pregnant model
in one and launching a campaign with the hashtag #DGfamily.
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