Miss California, Carrie Prejean: Finally, a Public Figure for Conservative Christians to Love
Corrected on 04/23/09: An earlier version of this article misstated the pageant that Carrie Prejean competed in last weekend. It was the Miss USA pageant.
By Dan Gilgoff, God & Country
Search Twitter for Carrie Prejean, Miss California and first runner-up for Miss USA 2009, and you'll find more tweets applauding her gay marriage answer than you will pooh-poohing it. It's no surprise that much of the praise comes from self-identified Christians.
But I was surprised to find a good number of tweets giving Prejean props while knocking Rick Warren, who played down his support for California's gay marriage ban in a recent interview with Larry King. "What about Rick Warren?" reads one. "Miss CA can say what she believes in front of millions but Warren couldn't on Larry King."
Another recent tweet: "I say good job Miss CA she's standing up for her convictions unlike a wishy washy Rick Warren. "
The Family Research Council's Tony Perkins has issued a press release praising Prejean: "Put simply, Miss Prejean is right: Marriage can only occur between one man and one woman."
At a moment when the GOP has abandoned its outspoken support for a constitutional gay marriage ban and is keeping a low profile on other political hot buttons—and when even evangelical leaders like Warren are playing down their opposition to gay unions—conservative Christians are embracing Prejean as someone who stands up for what she believes at considerable personal cost.
Check out Prejean's exchange yesterday with Matt Lauer (video above, transcript below), where she refuses to back off an inch from her opposition to gay marriage. When's the last time you saw a high-profile public figure, other than a Christian-right leader, do that on a similarly divisive issue?
Ms. PREJEAN: I knew at that moment after I had answered the question, I knew that I was not going to win because of my answer.
LAUER: Because you had spoken from your heart.
Ms. PREJEAN: Because I had spoken from my heart, from my beliefs and for my God.
LAUER: Well, OK, so let me ask you this. So if I were to—and I won't ask you. But if I were to ask you the very same question right now and say you get a do-over on this, how badly do you want to win that title? Would you have answered it differently?
Ms. PREJEAN: No, I wouldn't have answered it differently. I think that the way that I answered it, you know, might have been offensive to people, and I said in no offense to anybody, I did not want to offend anybody. But I think with that question specifically, it's not about being politically correct. For me it was being biblically correct.
LAUER: He says he hopes this doesn't usher in an era where contestants are subjectively judged on religious or moral or political beliefs.
Ms. PREJEAN: And I think it's unfortunate that a lot of pageant girls, you know, they have the pressure. Like Claudia Jordan said—she was one of the judges, she was great. She said that, you know, I should have been more in the middle, I shouldn't have given a specific answer. But that goes against what I stand for. And when I'm asked a specific question, I'm going to give a specific answer. I'm not going to stand in the middle. I'm going to take one side or the other.
LAUER: Carrie, you came so close.
Ms. PREJEAN: And I am—I am so proud of myself and I have so many people that are so proud of me. And it wasn't what God wanted for my life that night.
Take our poll: Was Miss California Carrie Prejean right to voice her opposition to gay marriage at the Miss USA pageant?
- Follow Dan Gilgoff on Twitter.
- Read more about gay rights.
Tags: religion
Tools: 
Share
|
| Comments (414) | Print
Reader Comments
To Women are Most Abused in this Country
Although you're entiltled to express your opinions, nevertheless your facts are misconstrued. The Womens Suffrage Movement was from 1850-1920. Prop 6 was passed on November 07th, 1978. Please get your timeline in order. To say that Gay Rights do not coincide with Women's Rights is purely absurd. Remember Roe v Wade of 1972? How many Chrisitians made the same biblical reference about abortion? Addressing it as a moral issue and not a political issue. Women are the most abused in this country? LMAO! Let me educate you sweetheart, Gay Black men and women are the most discriminated against. Gay Black Men, Gay Black Women, Gay White Men, Gay White Women, Heterosexual Black Women, and then Heterosexual White women. I am HETEROSEXUAL BLACK WOMAN, and I have faced more discrimination that you can imagine! So forgive me if I don't share in the same pseudo-Christian ideologies that has enslaved my ancestor for decades. Am I pro-same sex marriage? YES! Remember Christians did not free us from slavery...we fought for it using excessive force!
I have a lot of male Gay friends who find women very beautiful. But it shows your lack of education and understanding of Gay culture!
This is for Mike 'Letter sent to CNN, NBC and Fox'
I have never read such an ignorant letter in my entire life! What about the babies, and children who died of AIDS through blood transfusions in the 1980's? You call yourself a Christian? How dare you lack compassion for those who have lost their lives! AIDS did not begin with Homosexuality! Sodom and Gomorrah was destroyed in 1892 BC. No signs of AIDS, then. Your author, King James, an openly gay man, completed the English testament in 1611. No signs of AIDS, then! Peodophilia did not begin with gay males, but with heterosexual Priests, Reverends, and Bishops in YOUR churches! Please read your Bible, because you are obviously an uneducated bigot!
Equal Opportunity
I was watching the the interview of Carrie Prejean on Larry King. I am completely unmoved by her religious convictions. She is not very intelligent either. I am sure the last thing the Republican Party needs is a predecessor for Sarah Palin. I respect her First Amendment rights to speak out against same sex marriages. What I am strongly against is her religious hypocrisy. I have friends who are social conservatives. We have CONSTRUCTIVE debates. I find them to be very intelligent, CONTRARY to the Representatives of the Social Conservative Parties (ex, Sarah Palin, Elizabeth Hasselback). Neither of my conservative friends have posed nude, or constructed a risque video of masturbation. I believe that 'morality' and 'ethics' derive from personal choice and free will. Not religion. As a liberal, I have always opted for personal freedom, and refuse to ban the Constitutional Rights of any group, regardless of race, creed, or sexual orientation. But it amazes me how the choices made by Social Conservatives are always somehow validated. Yet, they place themselves in a position of power to deny someone else those same liberties protected under the Fifth Amendment.
When I was an undergraduate, I worked full time and attended University full time. I has very little time for an active social life because I had my priorities in order. Supporting my education financially was a greater committment than partying and making nude videos of myself. I am not religious. Despite the negative choices people make in college, I have never felt that it was fair to judge someone who chose to live a different lifestyle than myself. Social conservatives need to practice the same ideology. If you judge someone else, expect to also be judged in a non-flattering way!
Remember making the right choices is a moral issue, not a religious issue! People are not attacking her political views, they are merely questioning her hypocrisy and motives for financial gain. The LGBT actually defended her position in regards to freedom of speech. Although her views conflicted with mine, So did I. She is simply the victim of Lies and Hypocrisy...NOT the victim of a sex tape!
advertisement
