Carolyn Robertson
posted in Celebrities
Elton John is leading the charge for a boycott of fashion label Dolce & Gabbana in response to the designing duo's recent "archaic" comments regarding children born via in vitro fertlization.
In an interview with Italy's Panorama magazine, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, both openly gay, make the controversial claim that "The only family is the traditional one." The pair add that they oppose both gay adoptions and IVF.
Asserting that procreation should be "an act of love," they go on, "You are born to a mother and a father. Or at least that's how it should be. I call children of chemistry 'synthetic children.' Rented wombs, semen chosen from a catalogue."
Not surprisingly, the statements drew the ire of many readers, including Sir Elton John himself. The singer, who has sons Zachary and Elijah with his husband David Furnish, quickly took to social media to issue a response.
"How dare you refer to my beautiful children as 'synthetic," Elton wrote. "And shame on you for wagging your judgemental [sic] little fingers at IVF - a miracle that has allowed legions of loving people, both straight and gay, to fulfil [sic] 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."
His call for a boycott got some A-list backing from Ricky Martin, Courtney Love, Ryan Murphy and others. Even Victoria Beckham offered her support, Tweeting, "Sending love to Elton David Zachary Elijah & all the beautiful IVF babies x vb."
Elton John and David Furnish and their sons in December 2014.
Dolce and Gabbana issued a statement in response to the growing backlash, though it's far from conciliatory: "We firmly believe in democracy and the fundamental principle of freedom of expression that upholds it," it reads. "We talked about our way of seeing reality, but it was never our intention to judge other people's choices. We do believe in freedom and love."
Perhaps something was lost in translation, but the pair's comments don't strike me as reflecting a belief in love. They seem closed-minded and judgmental and, really, quite sad.
Taking a look at Twitter today, I think the best thing to come from this controversy are the messages of love and gratitude coming from IVF children and parents and other "non-traditional" families.
I exist because of #IVF I am not synthetic and neither is the love my mother and father have for me. #BoycottDolceGabbana #ivfbaby
— Marina Buonopane (@LilReen) March 15, 2015
However it happens and whatever it looks like, a child who grows up feeling loved and secure seems to me to be cause for celebration, not condemnation.
Here are some more famous families who welcomed their babies through IVF...
Photo: INFphoto.com, Matthew Impey/Rex/REX USA
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