Miss California Prejean may be stripped of her crown

Thursday, May 7, 2009, 11:48 [IST]
Washington (ANI): The directors of the Miss California USA pageant might snatch the title from this year"s winner Carrie Prejean for violating her contract by supporting anti-gay marriage group, and posing semi-nude as a teenager. Pageant spokesman Roger Neal said that pageant directors Keith Lewis and Shanna Moakler had had closed-door meetings to discuss the issue.

Neal claimed that Prejean had violated many clauses of the 12-page contract, which had to be signed by all prospective contestants before competing in the November state contest. The detailed document provides pageant officials nearly unlimited control of the titleholder''s activities.

The contract prohibits Miss California from making personal appearances, giving interviews or making commercials without permission from pageant officials. But, in the last two weeks, 21-year-old Prejean has made televised appearances at her local church in San Diego and on behalf of the National Organization for Marriage, a group opposed to same-sex marriage.

The contract also has a clause, which asks participants to acknowledge whether they have conducted themselves "in accordance with the highest ethical and moral standards." It even asks participants whether they have ever been photographed nude or partially nude.

And, on May 4, the racy photos in which Prejean wore nothing but pink underwear covering her breast with her back turned were leaked on the Internet. "As you can see from the contract, she violated multiple items," Us magazine quoted Neal as saying in a statement.

Prejean insisted that the pics were just modelling shots, and were taken when she was only 17 years old—a minor. "I am a Christian, and I am a model. Models pose for pictures, including lingerie and swimwear photos," she said in a statement.

She also said that the picture"s release was an attempt to humiliate her because of her religious faith and conservative views. "My comments defending traditional marriage have led to intimidation tactics that seek to undermine my reputation and somehow silence me and my beliefs, as if opinion is only a one-way street," said Prejean.

User Comments
noname 14 May 2009 02:56 am
@somethingwronthere Miss USA goes to her termines like she is supposed to do, Miss California doesn't.
somethingwronghere 14 May 2009 02:40 am
So then a Miss USA shouldn't be allowed to promote gay marriage either. It needs to go both ways, so to speak. You can't say that Miss Prejean needs to keep her mouth shut but then allow other pagaent contestants/winners to promote gay rights/marriage.
freespeech 14 May 2009 02:31 am
It's absolutely freedom of speech. If her comments were in the other direction people would be cheering for her. That's who she is. Her opinion should be respected like that of all the other contestants. After all it's a beauty contest, not a contest based on personal views.
Noname 12 May 2009 05:09 pm
@Bman Mayority rules? Sorry, but only because most people are not gay that does not mean automatically that they are disturbed by a gay marriage. I am not gay and christian and as a christian I think that intolerance against gay would be AGAINST my faith, which is all about tolerance towards all people...BTW, the mayority of people in the US are christians but that does not mean that they have the right to tell other people that they have to be christians, too. That is NOT what the concept of mayority is about. About this "Miss": She is free to have an own opinion and to express it. But she is not free to use her title to advertise this opinion and on the other side, snubbing the job she is supposed to do according to her contract. BTW: Doesn't anybody else think that an Organistion FOR Marriage who tries to prevent marriage is slightly ironic?
Observer1 12 May 2009 12:23 pm
I'm to the left of her views on marriage, but okay, she expressed her opinion, freedom of speech. Showed her side boob in at least one picture. Not so great, but okay, except unfair to others in contest who may not have done so--so let the pageant rules decide her fate. She becomes a spokesperson for the National Organization for Marriage (NOM). Here it's getting sticky, stickier when she allegedly records a fund-raising message for NOM--so let the pageant decide her fate by their rules. (Hypocrisy alarm going off). Then she gets caught in lie about her being age 17 when pictures were taken, and now it's coming out that she was much older, and that pics may be fairly recent. (Insert loud buzzer noise here) Not just a hypocrite but also a liar. She does not deserve the crown.
Lovin it 12 May 2009 06:27 am
Since when does a privately owned pageant have to provide a self-enrolled contestant with “freedom of speech?” I thought freedom of speech related to protections against government censorship? I guess in the Alice in Wonderland world of some religious conservatives, protecting freedom of speech is the role of the private sector. As a thoughtful conservative I believe that if a woman wants to be Miss America, she should be required to abide by the Pageant’s rules. All contestants know that going in and they sign a contract to that effect. No one forces a woman to compete, after all. If a someone does not want to be beauty queen, then they can say whatever they want, however they want . . . but on their own dime. Why should the Pageant foot the bill for points of view they do not support? PS – for those who think the Pageant owes this woman “freedom of speech,” you better be careful because some gay man might want to compete in the Pageant and claim his “freedom of speech” is denied because the rules prohibit his participation. I’m sure many of the same people who are screaming for “freedom of speech” would be singing a very different tune if a gay man wanted to compete in the Pageant.
Bman 12 May 2009 12:36 am
I say let them take her crown. As long as she feels she's sticking to her values and beliefs...they can have that crown. All I'm going to say is that I support her views. No matter how much some may want to say it is...homosexuality is NOT mainstream...and it won't be if it is continuously forced onto society and then supported by accusations of bigotry and hate when opinions differ from their stance. You don't and can't preach tollerance when you can't tollerate that most people in this country still find the concept of homosexuality as unnatural and just plain gross...sorry...but majority rules.
BlueStapler 10 May 2009 12:51 am
Miss CA poses in a christian modeling photo wearing nothing but a pink panty. She openly expresses her "passionate" for INEQUALITY and INTOLERANCE on every TV spot she gan get. Just what the US needs--more wholesome, christian girls like Carrie Prejean.
Paul 09 May 2009 11:56 pm
"The directors of the Miss California USA pageant might snatch the title from this year’s winner Carrie Prejean for violating her Contract by supporting anti-gay marriage group" Really? This is interesting to me. I was the impression that the photography was the only violation of contract. I am astonished to learn that the pageant actually requires participants to not be anti-gay. Not that I object but I'm amazed that they would include that requirement in their contract. I'm going to spread the news citing this website!
Joe 09 May 2009 12:23 pm
I am gay and I support Miss California's right to free speech. Though I don't agree with her and I feel much of the country is not educated on the reason GLBT have a right to be married, I still believe we have a right to free speech as long as it does not attack the character of people.
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