In a previous post, I raised questions about Planned Parenthood of Metro Washington (PPMW) Action Fund’s puzzling decision to award a 100% rating to Attorney General Aisha Braveboy. PPMW’s questionnaire asked a question on support for marriage equality and Del. Braveboy had been a trenchant opponent while in the House of Delegates.

This is the first in a three-part series on the problematic responses issued by Del. Braveboy and PPMW. This first part publishes Del. Braveboy’s addendum to her questionnaire in light of follow-up questions from PPMW in light of the controversy:

Addendum to Question 8(b)

b. Did you vote or would you have voted yes on Question 6, the Civil Marriage Protection Act, which legalized same-sex marriage in Maryland in 2012?

I voted yes on Question 6, the Civil Marriage Protection Act when it was on the ballot in 2012. While I don’t make it a practice of sharing my votes, as a citizen, I will make an exception in this case because it may appear inconsistent with my votes as a legislator. I supported letting voters decide the issue of same sex marriage and my votes and proposed amendments in the Maryland House of Delegates were made with the intent to allow voters to directly decide the question.

Much like President Obama, my personal views on same sex marriage have evolved over the years, and I fully support the rights of same sex couples to marry and to enjoy the same rights as heterosexual couples. In retrospect, I realize that these basic civil rights should not be left up to the will of voters. A defining moment for me came when I served as an attorney (pro-bono) for a same-sex couple that were victims of discrimination. In Village Green v. Carroll (Prince George’s Dist. Ct.), I represented a same-sex couple in a case where a cooperative housing association attempted to force one of the partners out of their family home and refused to recognize their familial relationship. Witnessing the discrimination experienced by my clients had a lasting impact on me and made me realize that my clients were as much of a loving family as my own mother and father, and their relationship should not be left up to the whim of voters. I successfully defended their right to be protected as a couple and later attended their marriage ceremony. As Attorney General, I would fight to ensure equal justice under law for all Marylanders.