Is the latest LGBT Controversy with Dolce and Gabbana a Step Backward?

LGBT issues have been front and center in the news for quite some time.  Gay parenting and LGBT family building often leading the controversial pack raising eyebrows on all platforms. However, the latest controversy stemming from Dulce and Gabbana's founders criticizing same-sex adoptions and family building via artificial insemination (AI) or in-vitro fertilization (IVF)  are spurring more than a raised eyebrow.

Matteo Prandoni/BFAnyc/Sipa USA via Newscom & The Daily Beast

Tim Teeman, writer for The Daily Beast chimed in with an article titled: "Boycott Dolce and Gabbana: Gays Can Be Hypocritical, Prejudiced Dumbasses, Too!"

Designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, once a couple themselves, openly condemned IVF, stating that it leads to "synthetic" children and that gay people shouldn't be parents." How does Stefano Gabbana explain that just nine years ago (2006) he sung a different tune when he openly stated he wished to have a child via artificial insemination, exactly the same method he now unfairly criticizes as the choice of other gay parents. 

The latest remarks by the fashion icon pair made the cover story in the March 12th edition of the Italian magazine Panorama.  The interview, titled "Long-Live the [Traditional] Family" predictably set the Internet ablaze with outrage! 

In the cover story interview, Dolce and Gabbana spoke of the "classical" family calling children conceived through IVF using a surrogate mother "chemical children in a rented uterus."  The billionaire fashion designers came out publicly against the use of surrogate mothers, and claimed children need "a mother and a father."

The fallout reaction was immediate and fierce by Elton John, who recently married his longtime partner and co-parent to their two children, David Furnish. Elton John lashed out calling for a boycott of Dolce & Gabbana's world renowned fashion brand.

(L-R) David Furnish, Elijah Furnish-John, Zachary Furnish-John, and Sir Elton John attend the 23rd Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party on February 22, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Michael Kovac/Getty)

Will Elton John's boycott lead the fashion world down the same path?  Only time will tell.  What I can with some degree of certainty say is "This won't die down any time soon".

We welcome your comments on this issue, and would especially love to hear from the LGBT parenting community!

West Coast Surrogacy, Inc (WCS) and West Coast Egg Donation (WCED) is an all-inclusive, LGBT friendly surrogate and egg donation agency, based in Orange County, CA with satellite offices in Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside and Sacramento, CA.  Working with intended parent(s) together with gestational surrogates and egg donors nationwide, WCS and WCED uses a team-oriented approach that encompasses the highest level of integrity, support, compassion and affirming care.  It is our pledge to guide you through every step of this life-changing process, acting as both a resource for information and an unparalleled support system.

To find out more about our surrogate mother and egg donor programs, please visit us on the web at: https://www.westcoastsurrogacy.com and https://www.westcoasteggdonation.com.  You may also reach us by phone at: (949) 861-4100 or Toll Free in the US at: (877.492.7411