Boycotting pasta is not something Italians take lightly.  But when the head of Italy’s popular Barilla pasta, which is the world’s largest producer and exporter of the Italian staple, told a provocative radio program that he would never consider using a gay couple to advertise his pasta products, gay rights activists, politicians, and consumers vowed to boycott the products. “I would never feature a gay couple in our advertisements,” Guido Barilla said to Italy’s Radio24.  He said it was OK if gays “like our pasta” and “our communication” referring to the brand’s traditional family-centric marketing. “Otherwise, they can eat another pasta. You can’t always please everyone.” Barilla later added insult to injury by explaining that what he meant was that their company ads wanted to reinforce the role of women as mothers, caregivers, and the nutritional head of household.

Barilla’s comments were met with scorn and indignation among gay rights activists, women’s equality advocates and parliamentarians who have been lobbying to introduce a string of anti-homophobic and anti-sexist measures in recent weeks.  Italy has one of Europe’s worst track records for sexist advertising and homophobic hate crimes.  Nearly 1,000 cases of verbal and physical aggression against gay and lesbian people are reported each year, according to Italy’s Gay Helpline. In the last four years, 20 transsexuals have been killed in Italy, according to the group Transgender Europe.

Barilla shot back that their family business, now in its fourth generation, was defending the traditional mother-father family. A spokesperson for Barilla told The Daily Beast that the media was sensationalizing the comments, and passed on a prepared statement: “I apologize if my words have generated controversy or misunderstanding or if they hurt anyone’s sensitivity.”