Celebrity Friday: Sam Arora Reneges On Marriage Equality Support

Maryland Delegate Sam Arora ran on a campaign of support
 for marriage equality and accepted thousands of dollars in LGBT donations

As the bill to legalize marriage equality in Maryland, HB 175/S 116, appears to have run into some very serious legislative hurdles in the lower House right before a key Judiciary Committee vote despite passing the Senate 25-21 last week.  LGBT activists are shocked and appalled by the shameful actions of a young progressive politician named Sam Arora who co-sponsored and ran for election on a platform of marriage equality but who has now indicated he will will vote against the bill if it reaches the house floor but will vote for it in the judiciary committee.

John Aravosis and other LGBT activists are perplexed by Arora's traitorous actions since as recently as a month ago, Arora had tweeted his support for marriage equality.

Now that tweet has been deleted from Arora's twitter stream and he is telling associates he doesn't think his religious principles allow him to "redefine marriage," which is basically a right-wing talking point. marriage is not REDEFINED when discriminatory legal barriers to those who can access it are removed. It's about treating LGBT people equally regardless of the gender of the person they love and their sexual orientation.

For his traitorous actions is possibly assisting in the demise of Maryland's civil marriage protection act, Sam Arora is todays Celebrity Friday. Democrats hold a 98-43 advantage in the Maryland House of Delegates but the floor vote (if it happens) is now expected to be close.

UPDATE 03/04/2011 0943 PST
Arora has released a statement saying that even though he opposes marriage equality (he supports civil unions) he will vote for the bill on the floor:

"I have heard from constituents, friends, and advocates from across the spectrum of views and have thought about the issue of same-sex marriage extensively. I understand their concern--this is a very serious issue, and one that many people feel passionately about. As the vote drew nearer, I wrestled with this issue in a way I never had before, which led me to realize that I had some concerns about the bill. While I personally believe that Maryland should extend civil rights to same-sex couples through civil unions, I have come to the conclusion that this issue has such impact on the people of Maryland that they should have a direct say. I will vote to send the bill to the floor because it deserves an up-or-down vote. On the floor, I will vote to send the bill to the governor so that Marylanders can ultimately decide this issue at the polls. I think that is appropriate."

Hmmm, I guess online pressure works! Hat/tip to Gay.AmericaBlog