Elton John is calling for a boycott of Dolce and Gabbana brands after the fashion designers made comments about their disbelief in IVF and non-traditional marriages.
In an interview with the Italian magazine Panorama, Dolce & Gabbana's Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana revealed that they oppose of same-sex parents with children who are conceived via artificial insemination.
"In it there is a supernatural sense of belonging," Gabbana said (via The Telegraph). "No chemical off-springs and rented uterus: life has a natural flow, there are things that should not be changed. We oppose gay adoptions. The only family is the traditional one. I am opposed to the idea of a child growing up with two gay parents. A child needs a mother and a father. I could not imagine my childhood without my mother. I also believe that it is cruel to take a baby away from its mother."
Gabbana's business partner, Dolce agreed saying, "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 catalog."
The designers, who are also gay and once dated, received criticism from many non-traditional families. John, who shares two sons born to a surrogate with husband David Furnish, took to Instagram bash the designers for their comments.
"How dare you refer to my beautiful children as 'synthetic'," he wrote on Instagram on Sunday. "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 fulfill 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."
After being called out by John and several celebrities - including Ricky Martin, NBC News co-anchor Al Roker, and Ryan Murphy - the fashion duo released a separate statement standing by their previous comments.
"We believe firmly in democracy and we think freedom of expression is essential for that," the designers said in a joint statement, via Reuters. "We talked about our way of looking at the world, but it was not our intention to express a judgment on other people's choices. We believe in freedom and love."
