We’re all a bit baffled why Dolce & Gabbana chose to open their mouths about gay adoption/parenting in the first place. As gay men, don’t they have something better to focus their attention on than criticizing loving families?
To gay parents, their ignorant words were especially stinging. Pioneering LGBT families have already been fighting an uphill battle for acceptance.
One gay dad decided to put his thoughts on paper (or screen, as it were) in an open letter to Dolce and Gabbana.
“Part of the genius of a gifted designer’s mind is to come out with the unexpected, the unpredictable,” he writes. “You could argue what is more unpredictable than homophobic diatribes from two of the most famous and wealthy gay men? Except internalized homophobia is predictable, and as boring as J Edgar Hoover and Roy Cohn. You’ve gone retro.”
He goes on to draw a link between antiquated ideas of “family” and “fashion”:
How about we take this to the next level?
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“Heteronormativity cries out for a single process of fertilization, gestation and birth. Those of us, who have known that we have parenting talents despite what society says, have found ways of bringing our children into our lives outside of old conventions.
You should understand this. If we applied the same critique of you that you made to LGBTI parents, we would be advocating for corsets and codpieces.”
It ends with the perfect pop culture reference:
“So if I was Meryl Streep’s Miranda Priestly right now, I would be pursing my lips and glaring. And you would be back to your drawing boards.”
You can read the full letter on GayStarNews.
Giancarlo85
I would tell this gay dad one thing… you can’t fix two self hating ignorant idiots. But yea, he definitely was on point with his remarks. The J Edgar Hoover and Roy Cohn comparison was right on the money.
jwtraveler
I’m not defending D&G, but this gay dad’s argument is preposterous. Procreation is not fashion.
Clark35
@jwtraveler: Nope it’s not. I can understand what D&G said how IVF and adoption are not for them; but they shouldn’t have said that LGBT people, and even heterosexual people who do decide to adopt or have IVF are not having actual kids or families.
jwtraveler
@jwtraveler: Additionally, sexual reproduction is not an “old convention”. It is the manner by which most animals and plants have procreated for millions of years and will, in all likelihood, continue to procreate for millions to come until the Earth ceases to exist. He also misunderstands the meaning of “heteronormative”. The effort by gay people to create genetically-related families headed by a monogamous couple IS heteronormative behavior.
While his anger at the stupidity of the comments made by D&G is justified, his response is not any more intelligent, though considerably less offensive. Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt and say his thinking was clouded by his indignation.
Daniel-Reader
Creepy when any Italian lectures others about what makes a proper family given Italy’s fascist past and infamous participation in the murder of millions of family members who didn’t meet their fascist expectations. Never forget, always remember.
Realitycheck
What is truly amazing is the lack of any kind of apology
from Dolce in the face of this public outcry, and in Italy
this controversy is a lot more felt then here in the USA.
Unfortunately the boycott will not impact D&G as most
of their markets are probably in asia.
The one good thing that came out of this is (I hope), is
people realization that D&G are just idiots with
a talent for fashion, and should be treated as such.
DCFarmboi
Personally, I think it is a wonderful thing for a couple (gay or straight) or an individual (gay or straight) to take in a child or infant who does not have a home and raise him or her as a parent. However, I’m not a proponent of the artificial creation of children.
Ogre Magi
This is why we should never trust gay christians
Glücklich
Meh…I’m a Varvatos or McQueen man myself anyway.
Cam
Something similar happened with Barilla Pasta recently. At first there was no apology, then the company released apologies, and begged people to come back, (Even though that CEO was still there).
D & G most likely aren’t the complete owners of their brand, if they aren’t, they are probably fielding furious phone calls right now from board members demanding they offer a retraction. Be funny to see if they do. Because if they do, it either means this boycott has really hurt them, or they have far less control over their company than people think.
Cam
@Realitycheck: said…
“Unfortunately the boycott will not impact D&G as most
of their markets are probably in asia.”
____________________________
Maybe, but remember, things like the Academy Awards and other red carpet events give these brands lots of publicity. If D&G stops getting mentioned and nobody famous wears them, their cache drops hugely.
Wilberforce
I looked up their designs online. Too flashy and busy for my taste.
GayEGO
Animals did not advance our civilization, humans did. Procreation is not about adoption or marriage, it is about a sperm entering an egg. If our civilization was advanced enough to have accepted my gayness when I was young, it might have required that I donate my sperm to continue procreation of humans. Maybe it will in the future if needed to continue our population.
In the meantime, let’s support equal rights for humans who wish to marry and adopt if they choose, regardless of gender.
DCFarmboi
@GayEGO: Don’t mean to quibble over one word but there is no right to adopt. In the case of adoption, all rights are with the adoptee, to the exclusion of anyone else having any rights. That is why it is wrong to obstruct a gay couple from adopting when it is in the best interest of the child. But the issue is — SOLELY — the interests of the child, not the prospective parents, who in all cases have no rights.