Miss California Carrie Prejean Interview - CBN

CBN News April 30, 2009-08-08

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In a sign of how controversial Miss Californias campaign against gay marriage has become, the organizers of the Miss California pageant say they have been targeted from both gay rights advocates and foes of same-sex unions, with the former slamming them for not denouncing their tiara-holder Carrie Prejean more forcefully and the latter targeting them for distancing themselves from the comments at all.

Weve gotten it from both sides, the openly gay Keith Lewis, co-executive director of the Miss California pageant, told Reuters.

The Miss California pageant organizers have also criticized Prejeans comments in media statements, but they have stopped short of saying they would strip her of her Miss California crown.

Still, the rebuke that the 21-year-old Prejean has received from the pageant backers pales in comparison to what gay celebrity blogger Perez Hilton said about her. It was Hilton, who as a judge at the Miss USA pageant, asked Prejean the question about gay marriage that has made her a hero to many conservatives, and the scorn of gay rights advocates. Afterward, he said in a video blog that if Prejean had been named Miss USA, he would have leapt on stage and ripped the tiara from her head. Those comments even prompted a Miami drag queen to denounce Hilton.

Prejean announced this week that she will star in a TV ad campaign from the National Organization for Marriage, aimed at convincing voters in states where gay marriage could soon become legal that they should speak out against it. The ads will air in New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and elsewhere.

So in light of the flare-up over Prejeans comments, its worth finding out who she is.

Raised about 10 miles from the coast in the largely conservative town of Vista, California, Prejean is a student at San Diego Christian College, an evangelical school, where she is studying special education, her spokeswoman Melany Ethridge said. For now, her plans are to continue with college, Ethridge said.

Ethridge said that Prejean was not available for an interview.

Last weekend, Prejean received a heros welcome when she returned to her mega-church, The Rock.

Lewis told Reuters that he has always known Prejean to be friendly to gays like himself, and that he believes she has more liberal views about gays apart from the gay marriage issue, which he disagrees with her about.

I would be excited when people really start to flesh out how she feels about civil unions and about civil rights and about a lot of the other issues, Lewis said.

Some good has come out of the controversy for Lewis. He said that more women than ever before are applying to try out for Miss California this year, with some wanting to promote gay marriage and others wanting to denounce it.

Given that beauty pageants often feature nothing but platitudes, maybe its a good thing that this years Miss USA has sparked a debate, instead of more empty calls for world peace.

Source: http://blogs.reuters.com/fanfare/tag/keith-lewis/

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Christian
• Christianity
• traditional
• family
• values
• marriage
• evangelical
• Carrie
• Prejean
• miss
• california
• pageant
• militant
• fanatic
• aggressive
• gay
• activist
• Keith
• Lewis
• Perez
• Hilton

[markonbroadway]

being gay has nothing to do with perez "hating girls"....if anything gay guys support girls and want the best for them....it just goes to show how ignorant you "religious" bastards are.....you would not know what true acceptance was if it came down from the heavens and bit you in the ass....

[1001Phoenix]

@markonbroadway spoken as a true gay hypocrite, you whine and bitch about "true acceptance" and in the very same comment call Christians for "ignorant "religious" bastards".

And before you start with me. NO, I am not a homophobe. YES, I do have gay friends. Luckily the vast majority of gays are NOT hate filled militant gay activists and despisers of Christians and everything Christian. That being said, far too many of you are.

[1001Phoenix]

Thank you for all the "tolerant" comments from the gay community.

More comments please.

[all028]

She's smokin hot

[renny2980]

This old man must be Gay to what is he talking about? he has more makeup on than a drag queen!!!!

[ritzadee]

@markonbroadway Do NOT criticize someone for being judgmental while you yourself are too. "Let him who is without sin cast the First Stone."

[ritzadee]

@markonbroadway You are sooooooo IGNORANT its unbelievable! I am a Christian and I actually support any kind of marriage. I may want a traditional wedding and marriage but I am not going to stop someone else from having what they want. I also have several friends that are gay, bisexual, and lesbian and they are not as you described. All gay men do notlike girls (even just as friends) and all lesbians do notlike men. In your comment you stereotyped Christians and homosexuals.

[Tsuruta1]

The reason why Hilton was in it, is because beauty pageants are sponsored by fashion industries, and many people who work in them are themselves LGBT. I don't care for beauty pageants anyway, but after this I care even LESS for them.

[wetdream09]

FUCK this little snobby bitch, opening her legs and self fornicating her vagina on video tape for her unwed partner acting holier than now fighting against two consenting adults who LOVE each other, but are the same gender so its WRONG?? what a fucking skanky hypocrite!

[choly7]

"we thank you for your boldness", shes a moron, all three of them are. I can't believe that a biast and disgusting programme like this has been accepted over in America. They're clearly homophobic and moronic! "This guy doesn't like girls... why would he be put up judging the attritubutes of beautiful women?" they're are women judges too. Is this suggesting that if you aren't sexually attracted to women, you can't judge whether they are beautiful or not?