In a twist to the gay-marriage debate, Australian Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce has argued that legalizing same-sex marriage could hurt his country’s cattle industry.
Joyce, who recently made headlines by threatening to put down Johnny Depp’s dogs when they were brought into the country without quarantine, was speaking on a TV news program produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
During the interview, Joyce said that Southeast Asian countries that import Australian beef see the country as “decadent” and that legalizing same-sex unions would not help with that impression. “When we go there, there are judgments, whether you like it or not, that are made about us,” he said.
Joyce said he was not making a “value judgment” about same-sex marriage but emphasized that he saw marriage as “a process that’s inherently there for the support of … or the prospect of … or the opportunity of children.”
Legislator Warren Entsch has said he plans to introduce a private bill in August to legalize same-sex marriage in Australia.
A couple kiss in Trafalgar Square after the annual Pride in London Parade on June 27, 2015 in London.Rob Stothard—Getty ImagesActor Ian McKellen waves to the crowd as he attends as grand marshal during the annual Gay Pride parade in New York City on June 28, 2015. Eduardo Munoz—ReutersA couple carry an American flag and a rainbow flag during the annual Gay Pride parade in New York on June 28, 2015.Eduardo Munoz—ReutersA reveler attends the annual Pride in London Parade on June 27, 2015 in London.Rob Stothard—Getty ImagesPeople take part in the annual Gay Pride Parade on June 27, 2015 in Dublin.Clodagh Kilcoyne—Getty ImagesFifty thousand people walk on the street for gay lesbian and diversity rights in Milan on June 27, 2015.Roberto Finizio—Pacific Press/CorbisPeople march in front of the Colosseum during the Gay Pride Parade (LGBT) on June 13, 2015 in Rome. Filippo Monteforte—AFP/Getty ImagesIsraelis and foreigners celebrate during the 17th annual gay pride parade in Tel Aviv on June 12, 2015.Menahem Kahana—AFP/Getty ImagesA reveler takes part in the "Proud to be yourself" gay pride parade with his dogs in Santiago on June 27, 2015. Vladimir Rodas—AFP/Getty ImagesA participant takes part in the annual Pride in London Parade on June 27, 2015 in London.Neil Hall—ReutersPeople take part in the annual Pride in London Parade on June 27, 2015 in London.Rob Stothard—Getty ImagesA man waves the Rainbow flag on a truck during the annual Gay Pride parade in central Sofia, Bulgaria on June 27, 2015.Nikolay Doychinov—AFP/Getty ImagesRevelers with skull masks take part in a Gay Pride parade in Panama City on June 27, 2015.Carlos Jasso—ReutersA participant in the Pride March against discrimination in Manila on June 27, 2015.Ritchie B. Tongo—EPAParticipants march during a Gay Pride Parade in Mexico City on June 27, 2015.Edgard Garrido—ReutersParticipants of Sao Paulo's 19th annual Gay Pride Parade hold a large flag with the LGBT colors in Sao Paulo on June 7, 2015. Tiago Mazza Chiaravalloti—NurPhoto/CorbisParticipants of the 20th 'Regenbogenparade' (Rainbow Parade) wearing body paint march on the Ringstrasse in Vienna on June 20, 2015. Herbert P. Oczeret—EPACostumed people attend the Christopher Street Day, CSD, gay pride parade in front of the Semper Opera in Dresden, Germany on June 6, 2015. Jens Meyer—APKeira Phair, of Westchester, Ohio, holds a rainbow flag during the Cincinnati Pride parade on June 27, 2015, in Cincinnati.John Minchillo—APRevelers run under a huge rainbow flag during a Gay Pride parade in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico on June 21, 2015.Jose Luis Gonzalez—Reuters
