The world’s largest pasta company has refused to represent gays in its “family oriented” pasta advertisements. Guido Barilla wrote in a post on Barilla’s Facebook page that he prefers a “traditional” family. He has issued a half apology, but he has refused to feature gays in his company’s ads.
“I apologize if my words generated misunderstandings or controversy or if they hurt some people’s feelings. When Guido interviewed on “La Zanzara” an Italian radio show, he said that he “simply wouldn’t consider showing gays in commercials for one of his brands because it touts a ‘perfect family.’
He continues to go on and say that the “sacral family” remains one of the company’s core values. “Our family is a traditional family.” He stunned the world by saying that if gays like Barilla pasta, and advertising policies, they will go on and eat that pasta. And if gays don’t like it, they’ll eat someone else’s pasta, according to the Huffington Post.
In a long winded speech the chairman of the Barilla group says that he wouldn’t do a commercial with homosexual family members not because he doesn’t respect them, because he acknowledges that they have their rights without infringing on other people, but rather that he doesn’t “agree with them” and that he wants to “talk to traditional families.”
He continues to underline his belief in the importance and the “centrality of the women’s role in the family.” He finishes by saying that without any disrespect intended the pasta company chose to represent the family it believes in, which is a “symbol of hospitality and affection for everyone.”
A media firestorm has ensued since Guido Barilla first commented and spoke out against gay marriage, and calls to boycott the brand have gone viral, especially utilizing twitter and social media. Former fans have targeted the company’s Facebook page to vent their outrage. #Boycott Barilla is a hashtag that mad pasta lovers are jumping towards to further their collective buying power into changing ad policy or reducing sales at the pasta giant. And so the discussion on the nature of marriage in our societies at home and abroad continues in a corporate context.
Image Credit: CNN & Barilla