Greg Ball's All Atwitter at Gay-Marriage Bill: Upstate Senator Takes His Own Online Poll

By Steven Thrasher Mon., Jun. 20 2011 at 12:23 PM

Here's what happened over the weekend with the gay-marriage bill, which the Assembly has already approved:

Publicly, the bill has the support of 31 of the 32 senators it needs for passage. Though he was considered "leaning no," GOP senator Greg Ball (who represents all of Putnam County, northern Westchester County, and eastern Dutchess County) asked Twitter users Friday night how he should vote. In completely unscientific fashion, we looked at one point on Saturday morning at his 100 most recent responses and saw there were about 10 retweets, 88 "yes" tweets and two "no" tweets.

Not all marriage activists were thrilled by seeing a vote on their civil rights determined by a debate on Twitter. Still, HRC's New York marriage strategist Brian Ellner indicated via Twitter that he found it part of a "respectful outreach to all senators to support equality."

Whatever Ball's motives or how he actually votes, his number of Twitter followers skyrocketed. An unscientific analysis of Ball's Twitter traffic could indicate any or all of the following: that young people who tweet are overwhelmingly for gay marriage, that pro-gay-marriage forces were quicker to pounce on Ball's call on Twitter than the opposition, or that anti-gay-marriage people are less likely to publicly state their opposition on social media, where it would be remembered forever.

No other senators on the fence — including publicly undecided Republicans Andrew Lanza, Mark Grisanti, and Stephen Saland — announced a change of heart over the weekend. Lanza, of Staten Island, did highlight concerns about religious exemptions in the bill, a point it is believed Governor Cuomo has been negotiating over the past couple of days.

The Associated Press called Governor Cuomo "the new face of gay marriage rights". Cuomo has indicated a willingness to call a special session of the legislature if all state business, including the gay-marriage bill, is not wrapped up when it adjourns.

The weekend saw pressure on Majority Leader Dean Skelos to bring the bill to a vote. (When that happens, you can watch it live.) Among the more public examples of pressure on Skelos was yesterday's rally in Union Square (see video below).

Marriage Equality Rally at Union Square and... by connaissable

Previously:

Is Gay Marriage Getting Blue Balled in Albany? Senate to Vote Monday at Earliest.

New York State Assembly Passes Gay Marriage for a Fourth Time

sthrasher@villagevoice.com / @steven_thrasher

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John

Greg Ball may be a loser, but he is NOT from "Upstate". In your article you say he supports Northern Westchester (and sadly, me) and Westchester is NOT upstate.

Iknow Imright

If religious nuts want to live under religiouslaw, let them move to Iran or Saudi Arabia. The United States exists under a SECULAR CONSTITUTION and religion hasABSOLUTELY NO PLACE in the laws of the United States. The Rethuglican Party is owned by religiousextremists.

Iknow Imright

When will everybody realize that what makes allpeople the same is so much more important than what makes us different. I just don't understand the bigots whodiscriminate against gays. As ifhomosexuals aren't human beings too. Asif they're not someone's son, or daughter, or sister, or brother, or father, ormother, or friend. All people want tolive in peace, we all feel love, we all want the best for our loved ones, weall have hopes and dreams, we can all feel pain, we all want to follow ourbliss, we all struggle, we're all just trying to get through life the best waywe know how. How does any of that changewith the color of someone's skin, or their physical abilities, or what God theypray to, or what language they speak, or what their sexual orientation is? If aman loves and wants to marry another man, or a woman loves and wants to marryanother woman, what is that to anyone else? They're not hurting anyone. Only a truly vicious, hateful, spiteful,selfish, vile misanthrope would begrudge someone their love of someoneelse. People who hate homosexuals shouldbe ashamed of themselves. Those bigotsdeserve to live in the shadows. They'renot fit to show their faces in decent society. And it seems patently unfair that gays and their families should sufferthe devastating effects of discrimination, while bigots and their families goalong untouched. It's past time that thebigots are made to pay for their discrimination BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY. Let thebigots and their families start suffering and maybe they'll learn their lesson.Anyone coming into contact with Maggie Gallagher or Brian Brown, leaders ofthat repulsive group, the National Organization for Marriage, or their familymembers, should take any action possible to harm them.

Freddy St Clair

Marriageequality is about being equal and having the same rights many take for granted!It' not about religion... it's about doing what’s fair!! Besides, theConstitution of the United States of America forbids basing any laws onreligious beliefs....

First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. The FirstAmendment reads "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment ofreligion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ...."

This is just another form of history repeating... Do you not remember Loving v.Virginia, 388 U.S. 1 (1967), in a unanimous decision, declared Virginia'santi-miscegenation statute, the "Racial Integrity Act of 1924",unconstitutional, thereby overturning Pace v. Alabama (1883) and ending allrace-based legal restrictions on marriage in the United States; the onlydifference is now the government is bulling and discrimination against gays andlesbians; not blacks, all based on a religious belief, which is aviolation of our rights!!

Do the right thing and allow us our pursuit to happiness! Do you want the samehatred many African Americans harbor toward the government to also be taught tothe younger generations of the GLBT in this country? We are also Americans andare supposed to be guaranteed freedom of religion and by denying us equalityyou are denying us these freedoms and violating the rights of many Americancitizens, as well as the oath you took as a public servant!

Besides what business is it of the government who someone loves?