Miss California Controversy Explodes; College Supports Her While Attorney Attacks
Apr. 20 2009, Published 7:12 a.m. ET
Miss California Carrie Prejean has ignited a raging controversy with her comments about gay marriage, splitting the public’s opinion of her comments and of the beauty queen herself. While the gay community and its supporters are voicing their concerns and anger about her anti-gay marriage statement, the San Diego blonde still has a surprising amount of supporters despite the outcry.
“We’re proud,” Dona Morgan, who works in student development at Prejean’s school San Diego Christian College told RadarOnline.com exclusively. “We all think she did great. We agree with everything she said.”
On Sunday, Prejean was asked whether or not she thinks all states should legalize same sex marriage.
She answered: "I think its great Americans are able to choose one way or another. We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage. And you know what, I think in my country, 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 it should be -- between a man and a woman."
Prejean’s comments caused Keith Lewis, the co-executive director of Miss California, to issue conflicting statements. He said he was “proud” of the beauty queen and “supports her rights to express personal beliefs” despite them contradicting his own. But earlier in the day, Lewis was less supportive of Prejean, saying, “I am personally saddened and hurt that Miss CA USA 2009 believes marriage rights belong only to a man and a woman….Religious beliefs have no place in politics in the Miss CA family.”
Civil rights lawyer Gloria Allred is one of the leaders of the battle to overturn Proposition 8, which bans same-sex marriage in California. That issue is currently before the state’s Supreme Court, but Allred wasted no time in issuing her verdict on Prejean’s comments, even lamenting she had won the title in the first place. “By suggesting that she believes that marriage should be between a man and a woman, Ms. California appears to be suggesting that the fundamental constitutional right to marry should be denied to gay and lesbian couples and that they should not enjoy equal protection under the law. If that is her view I regret that she won the title of Ms. California,” she told RadarOnline.com exclusively.
“Ms. California may have come in second in the Miss USA contest and deserved to lose, but gays and lesbians do not deserve to be relegated to second class citizenship. Ms. California needs a class in equal rights for all before she continues her career. I would be happy to be her tutor.” (Photo: Retna)