Correction appended
The Maryland House of Delegates took its first step toward allowing same-sex marriage in the state Feb. 17 by passing the Civil Marriage Protection Act with a vote of 72-67, according the Washington Post.
Behind the scenes, two AU students who work in the Maryland House welcomed the news on a bittersweet note.
“We won a great victory for equal rights, and it made me feel proud to work in the Maryland General Assembly,” said Joshua Lapidus, former legislative director for Delegate Sam Arora and a student in the School of Public Affairs and the School of International Service.
But Lapidus resigned before the vote after discovering that Arora planned to vote against the bill.
“I cannot stand beside you if you stand for inequality,” Lapidus wrote in a letter to Arora, sent to The Eagle by Lapidus’s friend.
Jeff Gan, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of International Service and an intern in Arora’s office, is also planning to resign.
Gan said in an email that he could no longer work for someone that had tried to restrict the rights of Maryland residents.
“I am completely and 100 percent for it,” Gan said of the bill.
Arora represents Maryland’s 19th District, which encompasses parts of Montgomery County between Glenmont and Shady Grove.
Before the vote, Lapidus handed Arora a letter with the intent to resign if Arora did not vote for the bill.
“I knew that I was the only person who thought I could get a yes vote from Sam,” Lapidus said.
Lapidus learned that Arora planned to vote against the bill about an hour and a half before Arora went to the floor.
Last year, Arora voted in favor of granting civil marriage rights to same-sex couples in the House’s Judiciary Committee, but voted against when it came before the general House.
The House pulled last year’s bill from the floor when delegates realized Arora’s “no” vote meant it would fail. The Maryland Senate passed the bill.
Arora’s plan to vote against the bill last year was unexpected, as he had openly stated he would vote to send the bill to the governor, according to a Washington Post article.
While working for Arora, Lapidus hoped to change Arora’s vote in favor of same sex marriage.
“Josh took this job to pass marriage equality,” Gan said.
This year, Arora voted against the bill again, despite disapproval of a potential “no” vote from Lapidus, other delegates and Democratic politicians and staffers.
“As your Legislative Director - I strongly advise you reconsider [your decision to vote no],” Lapidus said in the letter.
Former President Bill Clinton and actor Kal Penn called the Arora office to lobby for Arora’s vote for same-sex marriage.
There is currently a petition calling Arora’s resignation on the grounds that he ran a campaign in support of marriage equality but did not vote in favor of it.
In order for the bill to pass, 71 delegates had to vote “yes.” The House required the Majority of the House, 71 out of 141 members, rather than a simple majority to pass the bill.
Democratic Delegate Tiffany Alston was the 71st vote for the bill. She changed her vote after her amendment to the bill was passed.
The amendment deals with a timeline for a possible referendum, which will ask Maryland residents about their support for the bill. The referendum could possibly cause the bill to not be implemented if the public’s opinion is negative.
Marylanders will vote whether or not to uphold the bill in a Nov. 4 referendum if those who oppose the bill collect enough signatures and the courts recognize the validity of those signatures.
“The people of Maryland are going to uphold the governor’s bill,” Lapidus said.
Gan was not as confident.
“I personally don’t believe that you should go out of your way to preserve the right of a majority to vote on the rights of the minority,” Gan said.
If the bill passes in the Senate, Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley will immediately sign the bill.
If the bill passes and a referendum proves residential support for the bill, Maryland will be the eighth state to grant same sex marriage.
hmongilio@theeagleonline.com
A previous version of this article said 71 senators had to vote "yes;" they are delegates. It also said Gan is a double major in CAS and SPA; he is in CAS and SIS.
