Once Co-Sponsor Of Maryland Religious Freedom And Civil Marriage Protections Act, Democratic Delegate Sam Arora Now Likely To Vote Against Same Sex Marriage Measure

Metro Weekly is reporting that Maryland Delegate Kumar Barve (Democrat-Montgomery County), the lead sponsor of the Civil Marriage Protections Act, says Sam Arora (Democrat-Montgomery), a co-sponsor of the same sex marriage measure, told him Thursday evening that he now intends to vote against the bill, and that the decision is “a shock,” Barve saying “I don't know what to think. He told me that he was going to vote against it on the floor. I've been in the legislature for quite a while and nothing is a reality until you actually push the button. And these are hard issues. But he came to me and told me that he was having difficulty with the concept of it." Barve added that "It was a conversation where we didn't have a lot of time to talk because it was before a meeting, but we talked very briefly." Arora did not return repeated calls or e-mails to Metro Weekly seeking comment."It's been a shock for many of us," Barve adds. "I'm hopeful that he will change his mind and vote for marriage equality on the House floor." When asked why Arora changed his mind, Barve said “"If you're expecting an explanation or some sort of enlightenment from me, you're not going to get it. I honestly don't know. It's very unusual. People do change their minds. Is it unusual for a sponsor to change his mind on a piece of legislation that they've sponsored? No it's not. People do that all the time, but not on big social issues like this. It's somewhat unheard of." What is perhaps most troubling about the reversal is that, as the Washington Post points out, Arora has betrayed the very community he sought support from, raising money from gays and lesbians based on his support for marriage equality, and securing the endorsements of Progressive Maryland and of Equality Maryland because of it.