Chairman of the Barilla Pasta group has told Italian radio that the leading pasta brand in the world is family focused and would never feature gay people in their advertising.
Guido Barilla said if gays were unhappy with his company’s stance they could eat someone else’s pasta.
Aurelio Mancuso, the chairman of Italian gay-rights group Equality Italia responded by saying the comments were an “offensive provocation” and that gay Italians would accept Mr Barilla’s invitation not to buy his pasta or any of his company’s other products.
The hashtag “boicotta-barilla” quickly became the top tending item on Twitter in Italy as a call to boycott the company spread. The company has issued an apology saying that what he was trying to convey was,”simply that the woman plays a central role in a family” and that their Chairman is respectful of gay and lesbian people.
As The Guardian reports, rather than improve the situation the apology drew criticism from Laura Boldrini, the speaker in the lower house of the Italian Parliament who said, “There are some adverts … which, when I see them, I think, ‘but would this advert be broadcast in other countries? In the United Kingdom would this advert be broadcast?” said Boldrini. “And the answer is certainly not. An advert in which the children and father are all sitting down and the mother is serving at the table cannot be accepted as normal.”
Mr Barilla has hit back saying that Ms Boldrini did not understand advertising and the importance of women in advertising. Mr Barilla clarified that he is in favour of same sex marriage but opposed to gay couples adopting children.
OIP Staff, image: stock image YayMicro – wavebreakmedia
