Openly Gay Quantas CEO Calls for Same-Sex Marriage

The chief executives of some of Australia’s biggest companies called out to the nation’s political leaders to support same-sex marriage this week. At a panel titled “Does marriage equality matter to corporate Australia?” — set up by advocacy group Australian Marriage Equality — business leaders spoke out about the need for marriage equality in the land down under.

"It's really about equality," Alan Joyce, the Irish-born CEO of Australian national carrier, Quantas, told the The Sydney Morning Herald. "One of the reasons why I love [Australia] is it's about a fair go... As I've gone and talked about my sexuality, and talked about diversity in general, I've had people coming up to me in the business community and saying that their son, their daughter is finding it tough [being gay], even in this day and age."

He continued by adding: "And talking about how important it is for a business leader ... to express our views on things. It is a role model thing."
For the openly gay businessman, the marriage equality is both a social and personal issue. Joyce (who holds both Australian and Irish passports) mentioned to the Morning Herald that it was a “sad thing” that he and his partner of 15 years, Shane Lloyd (who has New Zealand, British, and Australian passports), are currently able to marry, except in the countries where they both hold passports.