Victoria Beckham is among the stars to lend her support to Sir Elton John following his public fall-out with Dolce & Gabbana. On Sunday, the father-of-two called for a boycott of the fashion label after the designers described children born through IVF as "synthetic". A few hours later, mum Victoria sent a heartfelt tweet to Elton – a close friend and godfather to her sons Brooklyn and Romeo – that read "Sending love to Elton David Zachary Elijah & all the beautiful IVF babies x vb."
Elton, 67, had angrily criticised Dolce & Gabbana for their views on same-sex families and the use of fertility treatment in a post shared on Sunday on his Instagram account.
Elton John and David Furnish with their sons Zachary and Elijah
Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana – who were a couple for 23 years before breaking up in 2005 – caused controversy with comments made in a recent interview with Italy’s Panorama magazine. "We oppose gay adoptions," they stated. "The only family is the traditional one. No chemical offsprings and rented uterus: life has a natural flow, there are things that should not be changed."
Domenico said that procreation "must be an act of love", saying, "You are born to a mother and a father – at least that's how it should be. I call children of chemistry, synthetic children." Stefano added, "The family is not a fad. In it there is a supernatural sense of belonging."
Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce
Despite their sexuality, the pair have also previously spoken out against same-sex marriage. Sir Elton rebuked their views in an Instagram post shared on Sunday morning. "How dare you refer to my beautiful children as 'synthetic'," he wrote. "And shame on you for wagging your judgemental little fingers at IVF – a miracle that has allowed legions of loving people, both gay and straight, to fulfil their dreams of having children. "Your archaic thinking is out of step with the times, just likes your fashions. I shall never wear Dolce and Gabbana ever again. #BoycottDolceGabbana."
Sir Elton John angrily rebuked the designers in his Instagram post
A number of other celebrities have since spoken out in support of Elton. Ricky Martin, who became a father to twin boys in 2008, born via a surrogate, tweeted that Dolce and Gabbana’s voices were "too powerful" to be "spreading so much hate", while Glee creator Ryan Murphy – a father of two children born via surrogate – tweeted, "These designers' horrifying views are never in fashion. Their clothes are as ugly as their hate #BoycottDolceGabbana." Courtney Love wrote, "I just round up all my Dolce & Gabbana items and want to burn them. I'm just beyond words and emotions. Boycott senseless bigotry! #boycottD&G."
Victoria Beckham and Ricky Martin are among the stars backing Sir Elton
In a powerful statement to E!, Sharon Stone – who has three adopted children – also condemned the fashion duo's comments. "We must meet this type of cruelty towards children who are in need and want homes and families, with love and open homes. "We must meet these types of behaviours who thoughts turned inwards towards ourselves. 'How can I give more to a child in need, how can I do more for the children of this world who need more and deserve more?' "To spend time raging against a closed mind is to waste oneself, a self that can be better spent loving where that love has been removed. To dismiss modern medicine as it helps loving people become loving parents is to dismiss all of the miracles of modern medicine." Amid the backlash, Stefano Gabbana issue a press statement on Sunday, saying: "It was never our intention to judge other people's choices. We do believe in freedom and love."