Oscar-winning actor Jeremy Irons has
suggested that gay marriage could lead to a father marrying his son
to avoid taxes.
After stating that he “doesn't have a
strong feeling” on the issue, Irons, 64, said that he worried that
such unions would “debase” marriage.
“It seems to me that [in England]
they're fighting for the name and I worry that it means somehow we
debase or we change what marriage is,” Irons said during a
Huffington
Post Live interview. “I just worry about that. I mean tax
wise is an interesting one. Because … you see, could a father not
marry his son?”
“Well, there are laws against
incest,” host Josh Zepps replied.
“It's not incest between men,”
Irons stated. “Incest is there to protect us from inbreeding. But
men don't breed.”
“Now if that was so, then if I wanted
to pass on my estate without death duties, I could marry my son and
pass on my estate to him.”
“I think the lawyers are going to
have a field day with same-sex marriage. I just get that. I don't
have a strong feeling either way. I just wish everybody who is
living with one other person the best of luck in the world. Because
it's fantastic.”
“Spoken like a happily married man,”
Zepps stated.
“Yeah. And also a man who has a dog
that he loves. I mean living with another animal, whether it be a
husband or a dog, is great,” Irons said. “I don't think sex
matters at all.”