Barilla strives to become gay-friendly
The world’s biggest pasta company, Barilla, has hired consultants to help it become more gay-friendly after its president sparked an outcry when he said the company would never feature gay families in its advertisements.
Guido Barilla made the gaffe during an interview with Italy’s Radio 24 in late September.
“I am for the traditional family, I will never have an advert with a gay family,” he said. READ MORE HERE.
The comments sparked a backlash from activist group while many Italians boycotted the famous pasta product. Rival Casa Buitoni also seized the opportunity to announce that it "welcomes gays".
A team of independent experts, including Paralympics gold medallist Alex Zanardi and LGBT rights advocate David Mixner, will teach Barilla about how to improve its corporate culture, La Repubblica reported.
CEO Claudio Colzani said the firm is committed to promoting diversity because “we firmly believe it is the right thing to do.”
He added that “diversity, inclusion and equality have been part of the Barilla code of ethics for some time, as reflected in our employee benefits, which are extended without regard to age, disability, gender, race, religion, or sexual orientation.”
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Guido Barilla made the gaffe during an interview with Italy’s Radio 24 in late September.
“I am for the traditional family, I will never have an advert with a gay family,” he said. READ MORE HERE.
The comments sparked a backlash from activist group while many Italians boycotted the famous pasta product. Rival Casa Buitoni also seized the opportunity to announce that it "welcomes gays".
A team of independent experts, including Paralympics gold medallist Alex Zanardi and LGBT rights advocate David Mixner, will teach Barilla about how to improve its corporate culture, La Repubblica reported.
CEO Claudio Colzani said the firm is committed to promoting diversity because “we firmly believe it is the right thing to do.”
He added that “diversity, inclusion and equality have been part of the Barilla code of ethics for some time, as reflected in our employee benefits, which are extended without regard to age, disability, gender, race, religion, or sexual orientation.”
Don't want to miss a story about Italy? - Then join The Local Italy on Facebook and Twitter.
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