https://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=88362
--- Comment #7 from Martin Sebor <msebor at gcc dot gnu.org> --- I would think for the same reason why attribute aligned applies to the reference and not to the type it refers to. If it makes sense for the following to declare an overaligned reference to an ordinary int rather than a reference to an overaligned int then it should also make sense to ask how the reference is aligned and get the right answer. extern __attribute__ ((aligned (64))) int &r; But if the alignment of the reference isn't important (and I think that argument could very well be made because references are mostly transparent to users) then specifying the attribute on its declaration might as well mean that it applies to the type of the referrent (or both). But the current semantics of the attribute declaring an overaligned reference don't seem very useful; more likely it's going to be a mistake.
