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Posted June 10th, 2009 by Michael Airhart

Miss California USA announced today that it has fired Carrie Prejean for contract violations, CNN reported.

Prejean’s violations began in April when she was a no-show for numerous pageant assignments. Instead of performing her duties, Prejean appeared on Focus on the Family radio programs and in other antigay evangelical media to denounce California gay couples. Prejean claimed that her egocentric religious views were being somehow suppressed by those who expect a pageant winner to represent all Californians, not just self-important fundamentalists.

While Prejean presented herself to antigay evangelicals as a pro-family advocate, news emerged that Prejean had posed with bared breasts for photos taken shortly before the Miss California pageant. Pleased with Prejean’s pro-family rhetoric, Focus on the Family suppressed news of the photos.

Meanwhile, pageant officials tried to contact Prejean about her absenteeism, but she refused their calls.

Outside the echo chamber of antigay evangelical media, Prejean became known — and will be remembered — as a liar. As Truth Wins Out noted in April:

Roger Neal, a San Diego public relations representative who advised Prejean, said she was untruthful. “She chose to stand up in church and in front of the media and say something that was a lie,” Neal said. “No one ever said, “You must apologize to the gay community,’ and no one ever said, “Don’t talk about your faith or your religion.’ Those two things never came out of anybody’ mouth.”

Prejean was not the pro-family advocate that she claimed to be; she was what antigay evangelicals frequently label their critics: A “false prophet.” A promoter of moral hypocrisy. A profiteer. And a poseur.

Donald Trump was wrong to excuse Prejean’s unprofessional behavior in April — and right to terminate her now.

Posted May 12th, 2009 by Michael Airhart

Focus on the Family today welcomed what it called “good news” that Carrie Prejean would not lose her Miss California USA crown. However, the organization continued to conceal news of Carrie Prejean’s repeated and recent erotic-photo shoots as well as a permanent demotion that Prejean received from California pageant officials, after she discarded her pageant duties in favor of photo-ops with the religious right.

Instead of discussing the facts, Focus on the Family promoted a two-part radio broadcast in which Dr. James Dobson talked with Prejean about her perceptions of persecution and her stand against marriage.

The purpose of inviting Miss California to Focus on the Family was not to “debate the merits of beauty pageants, or the swimsuit competition or the profession of modeling,” Dr. Dobson said. “We agree with those in the audience who oppose that kind of sensuality.

“That’s not our purpose here. I want everyone to know the behind-the-scenes story related to the answer Carrie gave.”

Unknown to Focus readers and listeners, Prejean refused to participate with other pageant winners in a Miss California USA public service announcement that promoted civility, respect and diversity. Instead, Prejean assured Focus on the Family that she is the role model for these values:

“I hope I have inspired others to maintain compassion, civility, respect and tolerance while staying true to your convictions, and to never, ever compromise your beliefs … regardless of the consequences.”

Posted May 12th, 2009 by Michael Airhart

Even as Donald Trump prepared to give Carrie Prejean a second chance as Miss California USA, Prejean continued on Monday to use her title as a soapbox for fundamentalist bigotry — appearing on James Dobson’s daily Focus on the Family’s radio program and playing hooky from official pageant assignments such as this one:

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While other pageant winners were promoting California’s diversity, Prejean was promoting her own superiority. According to U.S. News’ God & Country blog, Prejean told Dobson on Monday:

I felt as though Satan was trying to tempt me in asking me this question [about allowing gay Americans to marry]. And then God was in my head and in my heart saying, “Do not compromise this. You need to stand up for me and you need to share with all these people . . . you need to witness to them and you need to show that you’re not willing to compromise that for this title of Miss USA.”

In other words, it seems:

  • Perez Hilton is Satanic for asking a reasonable question and following it up with a sexist slur
  • it’s Satanic to affirm marriage, as equality advocates do, and
  • it’s Satanic to oppose the bigotry, sleaze, and compromise that Prejean represents.

The great compromiser in the scandal is, of course, Prejean herself: She freely mixes pro-family rhetoric with erotic photos, contractual infidelity with talk of integrity, icons of women’s progress with stunning ignorance, demands for one-way tolerance with contempt for diversity.

(Read More)

Posted April 23rd, 2009

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Posted April 23rd, 2009 by Michael Airhart

Equality California has invited Carrie Prejean, Miss California, to meet with gay couples and students, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

EQCA executive director Geoff Kors hopes that Prejean will get to know these people and learn first-hand the impact of her vocal opposition to marriage for gay people.

According to the San Francisco Bay Times:

Miss California probably doesn’t realize how hurtful her statements are, especially to LGBT youth,” Kors said in the statement. “But this is about something much bigger than the issue of marriage alone, and I have to believe that if she meets us, she will come to see our humanity, and at the very least, I hope she will understand that what she says as Miss California can either hurt people or bring them together.

The Bay Times reports that a former Miss California (2003), Nicole Lamarche, has released a lengthy statement about the controversy involving Prejean’s response to a question about gay marriage during the Miss USA pageant. Lamarche is married to fellow seminarian Jeremy Nickel and now serves as minister at Cotuit Federated Church in Cotuit, Massachusetts.

The truth is that it is difficult to know for sure the intentions of the biblical authors, but we do know something about God. Those of us who know God through Jesus of Nazareth know that he went to great lengths to express God’ love to people who were labeled as outcasts. He spent time with children, prostitutes, and lepers, all of whom were labeled as outside of the grasp of the Holy.

Lamarche indirectly criticized Prejean for using the Bible as a weapon against others.

Meanwhile, over at MSNBC.com, Helen Popkin asks, “Who died and made Perez Hilton official spokesperson of everything?”