Video: Greg Ball seeks compromise, compromising facts at hand

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06/21/2011

by Jeremy Hooper

First and foremost: Those advocating against *CIVIL* marriage equality will not accept religious protections. Ever, by their own admission. The organized opposition doesn't want these concessions. Not really. And this is largely because they know that their "religious freedom" canards are nothing more than talking points designed to derail equality for same-sex couples (in full), with almost all of the supposed horribles that they throw out (adoption, public schooling, accommodation, etc.) really involving the non-discrimination burdens placed on organizations that accept government monies, not marriage rights in particular.

Secondly: Civil marriage licensing and religious ceremony are already separated. Already. Now. Right now. Right this second. I know that for many, going down to a government building to get the license can seem like just another chore to squeeze in between cake tastings and dress fittings -- but in truth, this licensing is they key element of what binds a couple to the law. The civil license is the key element of this fight. Solemnizing the license does not require any religion, nor does said license demand any faith practitioner to perform any kind of subsequent ceremony. The religious aspect is optional for both the intended parties and religious leaders.

Third: New York state already has many, many legally married gay couples. Right now. This second. I myself am half of one such couple. Hi. Jeremy. Nice to meet you. The only thing I've destroyed this morning are some medium roast coffee beans, which I ground and then heated with hot water, not hot hell fires.

Fourth: The "extreme left" vs. "extreme right" comparison? Uh, yeah -- It's a false equivalency! The pro-equality side is fighting for a tangible right of which many good and decent taxpayers are denied. The anti-equality side is fighting human beings on a point that doesn't really affect them at all, with even the frontline activists on that side making unreported comments that would shock the New York public if they were aware of how far and personally-targeted this fight really goes. One of these fights is not like the other.

And now here's freshman Senator Greg Ball (R-NY 40th):

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