Jeremy Irons Reacts to Outrage: I'm Not 'Anti-Gay' But I'm Still Concerned About Father-Son Marriage

Jeremy Irons has posted a letter in response to public outrage over his recent chat with the HuffPost in which he said he was worried that giving gays marriage might "debase" the institution and expressed concerns that a father might marry his son".

Writes Irons in a letter posted to JeremyIrons.net:

I am deeply concerned that from my on line discussion with the Huffington Post, 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.

I was taking part in a short discussion around the practical meaning of Marriage, and how that institution might be altered by it becoming available to same-sex partners. 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.

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.

I've reposted the HuffPost Live interview, AFTER THE JUMP...

Former Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) Supports Marriage Equality Now That She's Retired

Former Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) says she snow upports marriage equality:

"I think obviously this has evolved over time on the whole issue for the whole country and the nations," Snowe, a moderate Republican, told CNN. "We've seen a sea change in society's whole attitude on this particular issue and it's only natural for government to be responsive to those changes."

Snowe said she supported Maine's provision permitting marriage between same-sex couples in November, a position she hasn't previously stated. That measure passed, making Maine one of nine U.S. states that allow same-sex marriage.

Snowe also said she now opposes DOMA, which she voted for in '96:

"The time has come," she continued. "I think what we're seeing is, I think, changing societal conventions, that ultimately you see the transformation of society's gradual thinking and evolving on issues. I think we're seeing those sea changes on this particular question."

Too bad she couldn't see this clearly while in office.

Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR): I'm 'Undecided' on Marriage Equality But Do Believe Being Gay is Not a Choice

Last night I posted a quote from an upcoming 5News interview with Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR), one of the remaining three senate Democrats who hadn't shown his hand on the issue of marriage equality.

Here's more from that interview on his position on marriage equality:

"I would put me down in the undecided category. I did talk with some friends of mine in the gay and lesbian community over the last week or so. We talked about this issue. We also talked about a question I received in the office not too long ago where they asked whether being gay was a choice or whether you were born that way.  I told them, I said, 'Honestly I’ve never really thought a lot about that.' Maybe a lot of people think about that. I haven’t spent a lot of time thinking about that. But one of the things I hear from them is they feel very strongly that it’s not a choice for them, and I respect that. I’m not going to dispute that. I appreciate that, and I appreciate their honesty.  For a lot of these people they just really open their heart to me and talked about some of the struggles they’ve had over the years with their sexual orientation. I respect that and appreciate their patience, and I appreciate their honesty."

On benefits for same-sex couples, Pryor added:

"This is one that is an evolving issue in Washington. I haven’t really analyzed this in terms of benefits and what that does for the federal budget…. I’m sure as the gay marriage decision goes to through the U.S. Supreme Court and all the ramifications for that over the next few months, we’ll spend some time on this."

There is a raw video of the interview online, but it currently has no sound.

Two other senate Dems, Tim Johnson (D-SD), and Joe Manchin (D-WV) are the last remaining to take a position.

Anderson Cooper Talks to Brendon Ayanbadejo About the '4 Players', Being an Ally, the 'F' Word, and His Sexuality: VIDEO

Former Baltimore Raven linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo sat down with Anderson Cooper last night for a nice interview about his work in LGBT rights advocacy. Anderson asked him what propelled him to be an ally, what he hears in the locker room, whether his own sexuality is questioned in the process of fighting for equality, and about those rumors of the 4 NFL players planning to come out.

Ayanbadejo tempers expectations a bit on his more precise statements earlier, and the idea of a 'fantastic four' of gay football players now seems much more hypothetical.

Says Ayanbadejo:

No, actually, what it is is, is there are organizations I'm in contact with, and there are individuals I'm in contact with and collectively we know of some gay players. And these players, some of them are anonymous, some of them we know who they are, but their identity is super secret and nobody wants to reveal who they are, and some of them don't want to reveal who they are, rightfully so because it's entirely up to them what they are gonna do.

What we want to facilitate is getting them all together so they can lean on each other, so they can have a support group. And potentially, it's possible, it's fathomable, that they could possibly do something together, and break a story together. And one of them had voiced that he would like to break his story with someone else and not do it alone....Not all these athletes are in the NFL. Some are in other sports as well.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

CNBC Host Challenges Eric Cantor on Gay Marriage: 'No One's Asking You to Marry Another Guy'

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) was challenged by Squawkbox host Joe Kernen about the GOP position on same-sex marriage. Kernen wondered if the GOP might regret being on the wrong side of an issue that a majority of Americans support.

Cantor refused to give, suggesting that there's an "intolerance" of those who defend 'traditional' marriage:

There are those of us who have personal religious convictions about the issue. And I think we as a country need to respect people about their opinion, not matter which side you come down on....Some of the things we stand for somehow aren't being received in the proper way and it's being portrayed as being we don't care about people."

Hmmm.... like the $3 million House Republicans have spent defending on DOMA?

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...