Italian pasta baron's anti-gay comment prompts boycott call

leatherbear

ROME (Reuters) - Guido Barilla, chairman of the world's leading pasta manufacturer, prompted calls for a consumer boycott on Thursday after telling Italian radio his company would never use a gay family in its advertising.

"I would never do (a commercial) with a homosexual family, not for lack of respect but because we don't agree with them. Ours is a classic family where the woman plays a fundamental role," Barilla, 55, said in an interview with Radio 24 on Wednesday.

Barilla - one of the best known pasta brands around the world - is one of Italy's biggest advertisers, and for many years has used the image of a happy family living in an idealized version of the Italian countryside, with the slogan: "Where there's Barilla, there's home".

In the interview, Barilla said he opposed adoption by gay parents, but was in favor of allowing gay marriage, which is not legal in Italy. His comment about advertising was in response to a direct question about whether he would ever feature a gay family in his company's commercials.

If gays "like our pasta and our advertising, they'll eat our pasta, if they don't like it then they will not eat it and they will eat another brand," he said.

Aurelio Mancuso, head of gay rights group Equality Italia, said Barilla's comments were an "offensive provocation" and called for a boycott of the company's pasta, sauces and snacks.

"We accept the invitation from the Barilla owner to not eat his pasta," Mancuso said. Many Italians used social media to voice support for a boycott.

Alessandro Zan, a gay member of parliament, said on Twitter: "You can't mess around with consumers, including gay ones."

Barilla issued a statement on Thursday apologizing, explaining that he was trying to say "simply that the woman plays a central role in a family."

"Barilla features families in its commercials because it embraces anyone, and they have always been identified with our brand," he said.

Spanish film star Antonio Banderas features in the latest publicity campaign for Barilla's Mulino Bianco cookies and breakfast cakes. They feature him baking biscuits with children and talking to a chicken called Rosita.

(Reporting by Steve Scherer; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

http://news.yahoo.com/italian-pasta-barons-anti-gay-prompts-boycott-call-152312451–finance.html

leatherbear

Dear GT.ru Members,

The head of Barilla, the world's biggest pasta company just said, "We won’t include gays in our ads, because we value the traditional family."

In the face of growing public outcry, he tried to backtrack but then added, "I absolutely don’t respect adoptions in gay families."

It’s time for Barilla to step up and show that it’s love that makes a family, not an outdated sense of tradition.

Barilla’s already shown that he’s vulnerable to public pressure. Now we’re asking him to give us more than a lipservice apology and actually set a positive example in Italy and around the world. Sign now to ask Barilla to show a gay family in one of their future ads.

www.allout.org/barilla

leatherbear

Pasta baron apologizes for anti-gay comments

Stefania D'Alessandro

Barilla, the world's leading pasta maker, and Chairman Guido Barilla have issued an apology for anti-gay remarks the chairman made.

"Through my entire life, I have always respected every person I've met, inlcuding gays and their families, without any distinction," Barilla said in a video apology posted on the company's Facebook page.

He said he was "depressed" and "saddened" by reaction to his comments.

Barilla had said to an Italian radio station that his company would never use a gay family in its advertising.

"I would never do (a commercial) with a homosexual family, not for lack of respect but because we don't agree with them. Ours is a classic family where the woman plays a fundamental role," Barilla, 55, said in an interview with Radio 24 on Wednesday.

"It is clear that I have a lot to learn about the lively debate concerning the evolution of the family," he said in the apology.

Barilla - one of the best known pasta brands around the world - is one of Italy's biggest advertisers, and for many years has used the image of a happy family living in an idealized version of the Italian countryside, with the slogan: "Where there's Barilla, there's home."

(Read more: Labor Dept. says legally married gay couples have federal rights)

In the interview, Barilla had said he opposed adoption by gay parents, but was in favor of allowing gay marriage, which is not legal in Italy. His comment about advertising was in response to a direct question about whether he would ever feature a gay family in his company's commercials.

If gays "like our pasta and our advertising, they'll eat our pasta, if they don't like it then they will not eat it and they will eat another brand," he said.

(Read more: Gay investors seek equality from SEC)

Aurelio Mancuso, head of gay rights group Equality Italia, said Barilla's comments were an "offensive provocation" and called for a boycott of the company's pasta, sauces and snacks.

"We accept the invitation from the Barilla owner to not eat his pasta," Mancuso said. Many Italians used social media to voice support for a boycott.

(Read more: Putin says no discrimination against gays in Russia)

Alessandro Zan, a gay member of parliament, said on Twitter: "You can't mess around with consumers, including gay ones."

— Reuters contributed to this article.

This article contains many live links within the text in the original post.

raphjd

He only apologized due to the severe backlash over his comments. He still doesn't like us.