The New York marriage equality debate took an interesting turn late Friday night, as the most-vocal Republican Senator on the religious exemptions issue opened the door slightly, via Twitter. Senator Greg Ball, who Wednesday stated emphatically, “At this point, on this bill, I would absolutely vote no,” around 10:30 PM tweeted, “Opening up the discussion! So, if you were me, how would you vote on gay marriage? Yes or No?”
Ball’s consistent complaint is that he believes Governor Cuomo’s marriage equality bill does not protect religious institutions and individuals sufficiently from prosecution for discrimination. Friday afternoon, Governor Cuomo said he was open to discussion.
It would seem Senator Ball is, too. We are one vote shy of winning. If it were Senator Ball who pushed us into the majority, no doubt he would bring a few fence sitters with him.
Please, via Twitter, send Senator Ball a polite and respectful tweet telling him you would like him to vote for marriage equality.
Senators on both sides have been lobbied heavily the past few weeks, and some are complaining they are being verbally attacked. One lawmaker suggested they voted no this week for that very reason.
Ask Senator Ball to vote on the right side of history by saying yes to love and equality!