The Miss USA 2009 controversy centered on
Miss California USA
Miss California USA is the beauty pageant that selects the representative for the state of California in the Miss USA pageant, and the name of the title held by that winner. The pageant is directed by Crown Diva Productions.
California's most ...
2009
Carrie Prejean
Caroline Michelle "Carrie" Prejean Boller (; born 1987) is an American model, former Miss California USA 2009, and Miss USA 2009 first runner-up. Prejean was stripped of her Miss California USA crown for alleged breaches of contract. Litigation ...
's answer to a question regarding
same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...
. On April 19, 2009, during the ceremony of
Miss USA 2009
Miss USA 2009 was the 58th Miss USA pageant, held at the Theatre for the Performing Arts in Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 19, 2009. At the conclusion of the final night of competition, Kristen Dalton of North C ...
in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
,
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
, the five finalists were all asked about political issues such as how to fight domestic violence, whether to use taxpayer money to bail out corporations, whether to give immigrants access to health care, and whether or not the United States should donate money to the government of Afghanistan to fund its elections.
Kenya Moore
Kenya Summer Moore (born January 24, 1971) is an American actress, model, producer, author, television personality, and entrepreneur. She is best known for winning the Miss USA pageant in 1993 and being a main cast member on Bravo's reality seri ...
,
Miss USA 1993
Miss USA 1993 was the 42nd Miss USA pageant, televised live from the Century II Convention Center in Wichita, Kansas on February 19, 1993.
At the conclusion of the final competition, Kenya Moore of Michigan was crowned by outgoing titleholder Sh ...
, has stated that the questions were "far too political and it's divisive as well".
[
]
Background
At the time of the pageant same-sex marriage was legal in two US states. In California the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in the ''In re Marriage Cases
''In re Marriage Cases'', 43 Cal. 4th 757 (Cal. 2008) was a California Supreme Court case where the court held that laws treating classes of persons differently based on sexual orientation should be subject to strict judicial scrutiny, and that ...
'' ruling; voters subsequently passed Proposition 8
Proposition 8, known informally as Prop 8, was a California ballot proposition and a constitutional amendment, state constitutional amendment intended to ban same-sex marriage; it passed in the California state elections, November 2008, Novem ...
which made it illegal. The topic was a focus of controversy in American politics at the time of the pageant.
The question
During the Q&A portion of the contest, pageant judge Perez Hilton
Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr. (born March 23, 1978), known professionally as Perez Hilton, is an American blogger, columnist, and media personality. His blog is known for posts covering gossip items about celebrities, and for posting tabloid p ...
's question came to Prejean. Hilton asked:
Vermont recently became the fourth state to legalize same-sex marriage. Do you think every state should follow suit? Why or why not?
Prejean responded:
Well I think it's great that Americans are able to choose one way or the other. We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage. You know what, in my country, in my family, I think I believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman, no offense to anybody out there. But that's how I was raised and I believe that it should be between a man and a woman.
Impact on the competition
After the pageant, Perez Hilton published derogatory comments about Prejean on his blog
A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order ...
, and told ABC News "She lost he crownbecause of that question. She was definitely the front-runner before that," leading many to question Hilton's ethics and believe that her answer was counted heavily enough against her to make her lose the competition.
Responses
Responses within the pageant organization
Hilton stated on April 20 that the pageant director, Keith Lewis, sent him a statement reading: "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." This was denied by Lewis, who said he did not release such a statement. Lewis also said, "I support Carrie's right to express her personal beliefs even if they do not coincide with my own. I believe the subject of gay marriage deserves a great deal more conversation in order to heal the divide it has created."
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
, who owned most of the Miss Universe Organization
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty pageant that is run by a United States and Thailand based Miss Universe Organization.Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015"Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel". ''The Wall Str ...
at the time, defended Prejean's answer, saying that "Miss California has done a wonderful job" and that "It wasn't a bad answer, that was simply her belief." He then added that the question was "a bit unlucky" and that no matter which way she answered the question "she was going to get killed." He later stated: "It's the same answer that the president of the United States gave. She gave an honorable answer. She gave an answer from her heart." Miss Malibu Tami Farrell, who serves as the runner-up for Miss California, has said that "there is a lot of controversy right now. I commend her actually for taking a stance in something she believes in."
Former Miss USA Shanna Moakler
Shanna Lynn Moakler (; born March 28, 1975) is an American model, actress, and reality television star. She was the winner of the Miss New York USA pageant in 1995 and was the first runner-up at Miss USA 1995. After winner Chelsi Smith won the Mi ...
defended Prejean's right to her opinion and also wrote that Miss USA is "an ambassador, a role model and needs to be able to show diplomacy on all issues". She stated that Prejean lost not because of her beliefs but because she "wasn't able to convey compassion for all the people that as Miss USA she would be representing."
Other responses
On conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
blogs and radio talk shows such as Michael Medved
Michael Saul Medved (born October 3, 1948) is an American radio show host, author, political commentator, and film critic. His talk show, ''The Michael Medved Show'', is syndicated from his home station KTTH in Seattle. It is syndicated via Gen ...
, Hilton was highlighted for what they viewed as an inappropriate expression of intolerance. Columnist Michelle Malkin
Michelle Malkin (; Maglalang; born October 20, 1970) is an American conservative political commentator. She was a Fox News contributor and in May 2020 joined Newsmax TV. Malkin has written seven books and founded the conservative websites Twit ...
commented that the "Celebrity leech/trash blogger" used the media to humiliate a beauty pageant contestant. She also compared Prejean's statement to a statement Barack Obama made against same-sex marriage. Malkin concluded, "The Miss USA pageant should be ashamed for providing Perez Hilton a platform for his intolerant bigotry and abuse of Carrie Prejean." Ann Coulter
Ann Hart Coulter (; born December 8, 1961) is an American conservative media pundit, author, syndicated columnist, and lawyer. She became known as a media pundit in the late 1990s, appearing in print and on cable news as an outspoken critic of ...
, wrote that "the Miss USA contest held a press conference to announce that Prejean had breast implants. Take a Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
position in public and Satan's handmaidens will turn all your secrets into front-page news." Regarding the release of "genuine 'semi-nude' photos," Coulter commented that " Liberals believe abortion
Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...
is a sacrament
A sacrament is a Christianity, Christian Rite (Christianity), rite that is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments ...
, but smoking, wearing short skirts and modeling lingerie are mortal sins
A mortal sin ( la, peccatum mortale), in Catholic theology, is a gravely sinful act which can lead to damnation if a person does not repent of the sin before death. A sin is considered to be "mortal" when its quality is such that it leads to ...
. (And if wearing women's underwear is a basis for being disqualified from the pageant, that's the end of Perez Hilton
Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr. (born March 23, 1978), known professionally as Perez Hilton, is an American blogger, columnist, and media personality. His blog is known for posts covering gossip items about celebrities, and for posting tabloid p ...
's judging career.)"
Liberal columnist Matt Littman wrote in ''The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'' that Prejean's beliefs are the same as President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He criticized the negative response to Prejean, stating that "Miss California will end up walking away from this with her head held high. Will the people who picked on her be able to say the same?"[Stop Picking on Miss California]
By Matt Littman. ''The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
''. Published May 7, 2009. Accessed May 8, 2009. Gavin Newsom
Gavin Christopher Newsom (born October 10, 1967) is an American politician and businessman who has been the 40th governor of California since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 49th lieutenant governor of California fr ...
, mayor of San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
, defended Prejean's statement even though he disagrees with her position: "I want to challenge her on her point of view, but she spoke her conscience; I think she's being a little unfairly maligned".
On April 24, Fox News
The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...
correspondent Bret Baier
William Bret Baier ( ; born August 4, 1970) is the host of ''Special Report with Bret Baier'' on the Fox News Channel and the chief political correspondent for Fox. He previously worked as the network's Chief White House Correspondent and Pent ...
pointed out on the program, ''Special Report with Bret Baier
'' Special Report with Bret Baier'' (formerly ''Special Report with Brit Hume'') is an American television news and political commentary program, hosted by Bret Baier since 2009, that airs on Fox News Channel. It is broadcast live each Monday thr ...
'', that Prejean's statements were very similar to President Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
's previous statements regarding gay marriage, replaying a speech in which Obama said marriage should only be "between a man and a woman". Television personality
Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sports ...
Elisabeth Hasselbeck
Elisabeth DelPadre Hasselbeck (; born May 28, 1977) is an American retired television personality and talk show host. Hasselbeck rose to prominence in 2001 as a contestant on the second season of the American version of '' Survivor'', where sh ...
defended Prejean, saying that if the beauty queen was pro-gay marriage she would not be the source of relentless rumors and media coverage.[
After the controversy, MSNBC commentator ]David Shuster
David Martin Shuster (born July 22, 1967) is an American television journalist and talk radio host. He most recently served as principal anchor and managing editor for i24 News, previously serving as an anchor for MSNBC and worked for Fox News, ...
remarked that, in his opinion, the type of people who participate in beauty pageants don't have anything to say worth listening to.
And on June 15, 2009, the Empowering Spirits Foundation
The Empowering Spirits Foundation (ESF), Inc. is an American non-profit, non-partisan LGBT rights organization based in San Diego, California, United States. , a national LGBT
' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity.
The LGBT term is a ...
civil rights organization issued a press release asking for the LGBT community to "move forward and engage in respectful dialogue." A. Latham Staples, the foundation's executive director, was quoted as saying, "Demeaning Carrie Prejean or others by using terms such as bigot
Discrimination is the act of making unjustified distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong. People may be discriminated on the basis of race, gender, age, relig ...
will not advance our cause of civil rights and social justice. The LGBT community must use this period of heightened attention on LGBT issues by engaging others in positive ways." Staples went on to wish Prejean "much success in her future endeavors."
Aftermath
Prejean said she believes that God used Hilton's question to test her character. On ''The Sean Hannity Show
''The Sean Hannity Show'' is a conservative talk radio show hosted by Sean Hannity. The program is broadcast live every weekday, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET. The show is produced in the New York City studios of radio station WOR and is sometimes ...
'' she stated:
By having to answer that question in front of a national audience, God was testing my character and faith. I'm glad I stayed true to myself. It was not about being politically correct; for me, it was about being biblically correct. I am so proud of myself and I have so many people that are so proud of me. And inning
In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other team ...
wasn't what God wanted for my life that night. I was true to myself and I know that I can go out and speak to young people about standing up for what you believe in and never compromising anything for anyone or anything, even if it's the crown of Miss USA.
Hannity asked her about how she felt about Hilton's comments personally and Prejean replied: "I forgive him. I know that he's angry for whatever reason. I know there must be a bigger issue going on in his life. It just so happens that I'm used in this way. And I'm so happy; I'm so blessed. I'm happy to be here, and I'm -- I'm filled with joy. I really am."
She has stated that "I was representing California. I was representing the majority of people in California."[ On April 26, 2009, while speaking at ]Rock Church
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
, where she is an active member, Prejean stated that Miss California USA officials had pressured her to apologize for her statement and "not talk" about her Christian faith. A spokesperson for the Miss California Pageant denied these claims.
Following the pageant, Prejean appeared in a television advertisement
A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...
for the National Organization for Marriage
The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) is an American non-profit political organization established to work against the legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States. It was formed in 2007 specifically to pass California Proposit ...
's campaign against the legalization of same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...
. The group had contacted her shortly after the ceremony.[ On May 1, she stated on '']On the Record w/ Greta Van Susteren
''On the Record'' was an American news television program on Fox News hosted by the lawyer Greta Van Susteren. Prior to the show's cancellation after the 2016 election, the show was hosted by the television journalist and political commentator, B ...
'' that she did not have an opinion on civil unions
A civil union (also known as a civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, created primarily as a means to provide recognition in law for same-sex couples. Civil unions grant some or all of the rights of marriage ...
for same-sex couples but that she supports rights of same-sex couples, such as hospital visitations, short of marriage.[Miss USA 1st Runner-up Carrie Prejean Goes 'On the Record']
''On the Record w/ Greta Van Susteren
''On the Record'' was an American news television program on Fox News hosted by the lawyer Greta Van Susteren. Prior to the show's cancellation after the 2016 election, the show was hosted by the television journalist and political commentator, B ...
''. Published May 1, 2009. She has also stated that she would be willing to meet with representatives from California's largest gay rights group "as long as it's not political."[
]
British MP Alan Duncan statement
On British news comedy panel show
A panel show or panel game is a radio or television game show in which a panel of celebrities participates. Celebrity panelists may compete with each other, such as on ''The News Quiz''; facilitate play by non-celebrity contestants, such as on ' ...
, '' Have I Got News For You,'' in Series 37: Episode 1, on the April 24 2009, the panelists were discussing the headline "I think same sex marriages are wrong says Miss California". During the discussion, openly gay
Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity.
Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...
British Conservative Party
The Conservative Party, officially the Conservative and Unionist Party and also known colloquially as the Tories, is one of the two main political parties in the United Kingdom, along with the Labour Party. It is the current governing party, ...
MP and Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Shadow Leader of the House of Commons is a member of the Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (United Kingdom), Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet responsible for working with the Leader of the House of Commons, Leader of the House in arrangin ...
, Alan Duncan
Sir Alan James Carter Duncan (born 31 March 1957) is a British former Conservative Party politician who served as Minister of State for International Development from 2010 to 2014 and as Minister of State for Europe and the Americas from 201 ...
commented, "If you read that Miss California has been murdered, you will know it was me, won't you?"[ ] whilst also describing Miss California as a "silly bitch". The BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
and Ofcom
The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom.
Ofcom has wide-ranging powers acros ...
received many complaints after the show. The minor Christian Party lodged a complaint with the Metropolitan Police
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...
, however no action was taken. Duncan later said, "Of course it was in jest ... It is a comedy show after all. I'm sure Miss Prejean's very beautiful and that if we were to meet we would love each other. I have no plans to kill her. I'll send her a box of chocolates - unpoisoned."
References
External links
*
* {{Official website, http://www.misscaliforniausa.com, Miss California USA official website
2009 in Nevada
April 2009 events in the United States
21st century in Las Vegas
Beauty pageant controversies
2009 controversies in the United States
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
Same-sex marriage in the United States
Women in Nevada