Italian pasta brand Barilla in gay advert row

I found this article on BBC.

(Summary)
On September 24th’s radio, Guido Barilla who is chairman of an Italian pasta brand said he would not use gay people in his brand’s advertisement, and if they dislike the concept, they could eat another brand. The gay rights organization criticized him and demanded a boycott of the company’s products.

(Reflection)
When I read this article, I felt sad about the thought of discrimination against gay people. I can not understand the concept which the “classic” family is fundamental, and I think it was natural for gay people and the gay rights group to get angry and call for a boycott. I was surprised that the incident was occurred in Europe because I thought European countries had understanding about homosexual people than that of Asian countries. According to the article, in fact, Italy is one of the few countries in Western Europe which does not recognize same-sex unions in law. I hope there will not be any such discrimination in our society.

(Questions)
・How do you feel about this article?
・What do you think about the rights of gay people in Japan? Are they respected?