Miss California USA Says "No" to Same Sex Marriage

Carrie Prejean will probably always wonder if it came down to the final question. As Miss California USA 2009, Carrie Prejean almost went all the way in Sunday night's broadcast of the Miss USA Pageant. Instead, she ended up with the dreaded title of first-runner up after a controversial response in the "Final Question" portion of the competition.

In a Final Question round that was heavy on politics and policy, Carrie Prejean was asked to state her position on same sex marriage by celebrity gossip blogger and Miss USA 2009 judge Perez Hilton.

"Vermont recently became the fourth state to legalize same-sex marriage," stated Hilton. "Do you think every state should follow suit? Why or why not?" Perez Hilton is an openly gay resident of California, where same sex marriage was legalized by the California court system last May and then made illegal again by the infamous Proposition 8 this past November.

Carrie Prejean tried to put her best face forward. She beamed at the camera with her Sweet Valley High-esque good looks, and responded:

"Well, I think it's great that Americans are able to choose one or the other. Um--we live in a land that you can choose same-sex or opposite marriage and, ya know what? In my country and in my family I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that's how I was raised and that's how I think that it should be between a man and a woman. Thank you."

Perez Hilton stated on his website that Carrie Prejean is the first Miss USA contestant in history to get booed during a pageant. There were clearly also a lot of cheers of support for Carrie Prejean's anti-gay marriage statement.

Perez Hilton was visibly displeased with Carrie Prejean's response, glowering at her and shaking his head from the judges' table. With only 13 judges casting the votes to determine the winner, it's entirely possible that a low score from Hilton could have cost Carrie Prejean the crown.

Other Miss USA 2009 finalists were asked other social policy questions about everything from legitimacy of the recent government bailouts to the funding of elections in Afghanistan to domestic violence. The pageant also promoted "green" messages through the broadcast and boasted that the Miss USA 2009 crown was made out of "cruelty-free gemstones."

While the live audience seemed to be heavily in favor of Carrie Prejean's "opposite marriage" preferences, her stance may have cost her enough points with judges other than Hilton. The liberal backlash against eight years of conservative democra-monarchy has put those who oppose same sex marriage in the same category as those who spoke out against interracial marriage in the 50s and 60s. Electing a Miss USA 2009 who's against gay marriage is about as trendy right now as boasting a Bush/Cheney bumper sticker on your Hummer SUV. With same sex marriage gaining acceptance in more and more states across the country, Carrie Prejean may just have found herself in the Miss USA pageant a year or so too late.

Ultimately, the Miss USA 2009 title went to Miss North Carolina, Kristen Dalton. Kristen Dalton's final question came from soap opera actress Kelly Monaco, who asked whether she thought taxpayer money should be used for corporate bailouts. Miss North Carolina's pageant title winning answer? "That's a tough one--no--I don't think U.S. taxpayer's money should be used to bailout companies," she responded and then gazed glassily into the audience as she basked in the applause. Representatives for Kristen Dalton have not released a statement regarding the new Miss USA's position on same sex marriage.

Sources:
Miss California USA Carrie Prejean:
http://misscaliforniausa.com/2009.html

My Sinchew
http://ap.mysinchew.com/node/23418?tid=78

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XMvviFbkf0