--- description: In what is believed to be the first gay friendly campaign, a son comes out over microwaved pasta title: In First Gay-Friendly Ad, Son Comes Out Over Pasta in Italy image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7df04cd293179445/698696f8169ab0425a279d88/pasta.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # In Country's First Gay-Friendly Ad, Son Comes Out Over Pasta in Italy  by [Francesca Trianni](/author/francesca-trianni/)  ## Francesca Trianni Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 10, 2014 4:12 PM CUT  Tagliatelle carbonara is on the menu at Vendetta restaurant on H Street, NE. Tagliatelle carbonara is on the menu at Vendetta restaurant on H Street, NE.Tom Williams—CQ/Getty Images  by [Francesca Trianni](/author/francesca-trianni/)  ## Francesca Trianni Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 10, 2014 4:12 PM CUT Coming out over pasta might be fairly common in Italian homes, but for what is believed to be the first time, an ad will be portraying the family event across Italian televisions. Findus, a frozen food company, produced what is believed to be the first gay-friendly ad in the European country. In the commercial — in which no faces are shown — a man named Luca and his mother bond over microwaved pasta cooked by Luca’s boyfriend. “Mom, there is another small surprise,” says Luca in the ad. Is it the risotto cooked in the microwave, wonders the mother. “Gianni isn’t just my roommate, he’s my boyfriend!” quips the son. The ad comes nine months after the chairman of Italian pasta maker Barilla [came under fire](http://business.time.com/2013/11/04/italian-pasta-maker-will-start-more-inclusive-ad-campaign-after-anti-gay-remarks/ "undefined") for saying that he would never use a gay family in his ads. The company eventually announced a “more inclusive” initiative to “establish a more active, global leadership on diversity,” including hiring a “chief diversity officer.” Gay activists in Europe praised the video for showcasing the simplicity and the daily life of a gay couple. “It’s a positive step forward when different types of families are portrayed in ads, as they resonate with parts of society that are usually marginalized,” said Juris Lavrikovs, the communications manager of ILGA, Europe’s International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans & Intersex Association. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/2852700/gay-pasta-italy/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/2852700/gay-pasta-italy/"},"headline":"In Country's First Gay-Friendly Ad, Son Comes Out Over Pasta in Italy","datePublished":"2014-06-10T16:12:36.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T08:19:35.023Z","description":"This is believed to be the first gay friendly campaign in a country that is often entrenched in homophobia","url":"https://time.com/2852700/gay-pasta-italy/","keywords":["Gay Rights","europe","LGBT","Italy","Advertisement"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7df04cd293179445/698696f8169ab0425a279d88/pasta.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Francesca Trianni","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/francesca-trianni/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7df04cd293179445/698696f8169ab0425a279d88/pasta.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Vendetta","caption":"Vendetta","creditText":"Tom Williams—CQ/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/2852700/gay-pasta-italy/","name":"In Country's First Gay-Friendly Ad, Son Comes Out Over Pasta in Italy"}}]}] ```