Stop calling me gay, says fashion designer Stefano Gabbana

attends the Costume Institute Gala for the "PUNK: Chaos to Couture" exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 6, 2013 in New York City.

Designer Stefano Gabbana no longer wants to be known as a gay man.

The designer, who co-founded the Dolce & Gabbana fashion house, has sparked outrage in the past with his views on same-sex parents.

Speaking to Italian publication Corriere della Sera over the weekend, he rejected attempts to define his sexuality.

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 23: Stefano Gabbana arrives for the Gala to celebrate the Vogue 100 Festival at Kensington Gardens on May 23, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)

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“I don’t want to be called gay, because I’m simply a man … full stop,” he said.

“The word ‘gay’ was invented by those who need to label people,” he added, according to AFP.

“I don’t want to be identified by my sexual choices.”

MILAN, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 23: Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce walks the runway at the Dolce & Gabbana secret show during Milan Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2018 at Bar Martini on September 23, 2017 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)

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Gabbana, 55, started his world-famous fashion label with partner Domenico Dolce in 1984, and despite separating 13 years ago, they continue to work together.

Gabbana explained: “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.


“We are human beings before being gay, heterosexual or bisexual,” he added.

Gay associations, he continued, “often serve as a defence, but I don’t want to be protected by anyone, because I’ve done nothing wrong”.

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL - APRIL 15: Stefano Gabbana,Grazi Massafera,Iara Jeressati and Domenico Dolce attend at 2016 amfAR Inspiration Gala Sao Paulo on April 15, 2016 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Fernanda Calfat/Getty Images)

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Gabbana did however open up about the moment he began to understand that he was attracted to men.

He remembered taking his girlfriend to a dance when he was 18 and realising that he “was watching the men more than her.”

He added: “I had known for a while, but I didn’t have the courage to admit it.

Designers Domenico Dolce (R) and Stefano Gabbana greet the audience at the end of the show for fashion house Dolce Gabbana during the 2017 Women's Spring / Summer collections shows at Milan Fashion Week on September 25, 2016 in Milan. / AFP / ALBERTO PIZZOLI (Photo credit should read ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images)

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“Only through therapy did I realise 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 realise.

“And they would tell my mother.”

MILAN, ITALY - JUNE 22: Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce attend GQ Celebrates Jim Nelson's 10th Anniversary as Editor-in-Chief Party on June 22, 2013 in Milan at Villa Necchi on June 22, 2013 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Victor Boyko/Getty Images for GQ)

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In 2015, Gabbana and Domenico Dolce faced a boycott when they lashed out at same-sex adoption, IVF and surrogacy, hitting out at “synthetic” children of gay people.

The pair sparked a bitter feud with Sir Elton John– whose sons Zachary and Elijah were born via IVF – leading Gabbana to brand him a “fascist”.

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL - APRIL 15: Stefano Gabbana,Iara Jeressati and Domenico Dolce attend at 2016 amfAR Inspiration Gala Sao Paulo on April 15, 2016 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Fernanda Calfat/Getty Images)

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The fashion designers later apologised for their remarks, but again faced boycott threats this year after dressing First Lady Melania Trump.

And in June, Gabbana called Miley Cyrus “ignorant” after the popstar criticised his company for its political stances.

MILAN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 19: Stefano Gabbana attends the The Vogue Talents Corner fashion show during Milan Fashion Week Womenswear Autumn/Winter 2014 on February 19, 2014 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Vincenzo Lombardo/Getty Images)

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“We are Italian and we don’t care about politics and mostly neither about the American one!” he wrote on Instagram.

“We make dresses and if you think about doing politics with a post it’s simply ignorant.”