Jeremy Irons has taken measures to clarify his controversial comments about same-sex marriage. The Borgias actor sparked outrage last week when he questioned whether fathers and sons would be able to marry if gay marriage was legalised in the US. Irons said at the time: "It seems to me that now [gay people are] fighting for the name. I worry that it means somehow we debase, or we change, what marriage is. I just worry about that." However, the Brideshead Revisited star has since penned an open letter for his official website, where he claimed that he was "deeply concerned" that his comments had been misconstrued. He writes: "It has been understood that I hold a position that is anti gay… This is as far from the truth of me as to say that I believe the earth is flat." "Perhaps rather too flippantly I flew the kite of an example of the legal quagmire that might occur if same sex marriage entered the statute books, by raising the possibility of future marriage between same sex family members for tax reasons, (incest being illegal primarily in order to prevent inbreeding, and therefore an irrelevance in non reproductive relationships). Clearly this was a mischievous argument, but nonetheless valid." He continued: "I am clearly aware that many gay relationships are more long-term, responsible and even healthier in their role of raising children, than their hetero equivalents, and that love often creates the desire to mark itself in a formal way, as marriage would do. Clearly society should find a way of doing this.
"I had hoped that even on such a subject as this, where passions run high, the internet was a forum where ideas could be freely discussed without descending into name-calling. I believe that is what it could be, but it depends on all of us behaving, even behind our aliases, in a humane, intelligent and open way." Irons' comments come just 18 months after his caused a furore when he spoke about sexual harassment. The 64-year-old was quoted at the time as saying: "If a man puts his hand on a woman's bottom, any woman worth her salt can deal with it. It's communication."
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On 5 April 2013, we wrote...Jeremy Irons has provoked outrage after suggesting that gay marriage laws could allow fathers to marry their sons, in order to avoid paying inheritance tax.
The Brideshead Revisited star said that he "doesn't have a strong feeling either way" on gay marriage but said it could lead to fathers passing on their estates to their sons without paying inheritance tax.
"Could a father not marry his son?" he said in an interview.
When he was told that marriage between family members is counted as incest, the 64-year-old said: "It's not incest between men", adding: "Incest is there to protect us from inbreeding, but men don't breed."
Irons' views have prompted a flurry of comments on social media sites.
A spokesman for Stonewall, the lesbian, gay and bisexual charity, said: "Few people will agree with Jeremy Irons' bizarre 'concerns' about equal marriage."
Irons went on to tell the Huffington Post that he wanted "everybody whose living with one other person the best of luck in the world because it's fantastic".
He added: "Living with another animal, whether it be a husband or a dog, is great."
Jeremy Irons has been married to Irish actress Sinead Cusack for 34 years. They have two sons, actor Max Irons and photographer Sam Irons.
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SOURCE: HUFFINGTON POST
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