Arts & Entertainment
Stefano Gabbana no longer wants to be labeled gay
the designer says he’s ‘simply a man full stop’
(Screenshot via YouTube.)
Designer Stefano Gabbana, one-half of Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana, does not want to be labeled gay.
In an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Gabbana revealed he’s over the term.
“I don’t want to be called gay, because I am simply a man full stop, Gabbana says. “The word ‘gay’ was invented by those who need to label people, and I don’t want to be identified by my sexual choices.”
He went on to say that he considers being human to come before a sexuality label.
“I thought that I could help spread a new culture as a famous person, a culture no longer based on gay rights but on human rights,” Gabbana says. “We are human beings before being gay, heterosexual, or bisexual.”
“I had known for a while, but I didn’t have the courage to admit it. Only through therapy did I realize that there had been clear signs in my childhood. I wanted to play alone because I felt different from the other children and I feared that if we were together they would realize. And they would tell my mother,” Gabbana says.
Dolce and Gabbana have made controversial statements regarding the LGBT community in the past. In 2015, they called children of in vitro fertilization “children of chemistry, synthetic children. Uteruses for rent, semen chosen from a catalog.”
After Elton John and Ryan Murphy threatened to boycott the label, they apologized for their remark.
“I am so sorry. It was not my intention to offend anyone,” Dolce told Vogue. “I’ve done some soul-searching. I’ve talked to Stefano a lot about this. I’ve realized that my words were inappropriate, and I apologize. They are just kids.”
The fashion designers also came under fire for their decision to dress First Lady Melania Trump.
Photos
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The 41st Helen Hayes Awards were held at The Anthem on Monday, May 19. Felicia Curry and Mike Millan served as the hosts.
A performance featuring members of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington and local drag artists was held at the end of the first act of the program to celebrate WorldPride 2025.
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Looking back at 50 years of Pride in D.C
Washington Blade’s unique archives chronicle highs, lows of our movement
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of LGBTQ Pride in Washington, D.C., the Washington Blade team combed our archives and put together a glossy magazine showcasing five decades of celebrations in the city. Below is a sampling of images from the magazine but be sure to find a print copy starting this week.
The magazine is being distributed now and is complimentary. You can find copies at LGBTQ bars and restaurants across the city. Or visit the Blade booth at the Pride festival on June 7 and 8 where we will distribute copies.
Thank you to our advertisers and sponsors, whose support has enabled us to distribute the magazine free of charge. And thanks to our dedicated team at the Blade, especially Photo Editor Michael Key, who spent many hours searching the archives for the best images, many of which are unique to the Blade and cannot be found elsewhere. And thanks to our dynamic production team of Meaghan Juba, who designed the magazine, and Phil Rockstroh who managed the process. Stephen Rutgers and Brian Pitts handled sales and marketing and staff writers Lou Chibbaro Jr., Christopher Kane, Michael K. Lavers, Joe Reberkenny along with freelancer and former Blade staffer Joey DiGuglielmo wrote the essays.
The magazine represents more than 50 years of hard work by countless reporters, editors, advertising sales reps, photographers, and other media professionals who have brought you the Washington Blade since 1969.
We hope you enjoy the magazine and keep it as a reminder of all the many ups and downs our local LGBTQ community has experienced over the past 50 years.
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