Pride and Shame

Miss California USA Carrie Prejean
April 20, 2009

Miss California is both stupid and ugly. Stupid because in last night’s Miss USA Pageant she stated, "We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite.” Last time I checked, we could only choose same-sex marriage in a handful of states, and in Prejean’s homestate of California, that Constitutionally guaranteed civil right was taken away.

Why ugly? Because H8 is ugly, and Miss Prejean had the chance to be on the right side of history, and chose instead to perpetuate hate by stating on national television that all Americans are not equal.

Note: The PaS authors were present at the show, and ended up in a shouting match with anti-gay supporters of Miss CA after the show, at which point we were assaulted by them. I guess we shouldn’t be surprised that the same family that taught Carrie to hate is also a family that believes violence is an acceptable answer when someone disagrees with you.

The Miss CA organization has said they are saddened and disappointed by Prejean’s answer. More Info...

Now the real question - given her status as first runner-up, will she get to wear the Miss USA crown, and with it show the world that the United States is a country where discrimination is acceptable? Not if we have anything to say about it.

Email: MissUPR@missuniverse.com

Suggested Email (copy & paste into email)

As part of a protest organized by PrideandShame.com, I wish to express to you my utter shock and disdain at Miss California’s ignorant answer during the 2009 Miss USA Pageant.

If Miss USA is to represent our country, it is unthinkable that your organization would ever consider letting Carrie Prejean wear the crown. In the USA, all citizens are equal. Just because our Federal Government and certain religions have chosen to institutionalize homophobia and discrimination, it does not make those behaviors any more acceptable.

In the unlikely event that as first runner-up, Carrie takes the title of Miss USA, know that hundreds of thousands of gay men and women in the pageant community and those who believe in equality will hold your organization and your advertisers accountable for perpetuating hate. The Miss Universe Organization would never tolerate a contestant espousing racism or sexism onstage, and you should make a statement condemning Miss Prejean’s comments as definitively as you would a statement on those other issues.

Hate is ugly, and so is Miss California. Do not make the Miss Universe Organization or its advertisers suffer the consequences of her ignorance.

Sincerely,
Another Citizen for Equality