The World Beyond BetterMost > The Culture Tent
Gay Marriage Sinks Miss California's shot at Crown
Katie77:
Miss California appears in anti-gay marriage ad
May 1, 2009, 11:27 am
Yahoo!7 Entertainment News
Latest stories and gossip
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - After failing to stop recent gay marriage approvals in several states, opponents have found an attractive, telegenic poster woman in Miss California, a move reminiscent of beauty queen Anita Bryant's 1970s crusade against gay rights.
Miss California, a Christian college student named Carrie Prejean, joined in a television ad campaign against gay marriage this week, upsetting homosexual rights advocates, including a head of the Miss California pageant.
In the commercial from the National Organization for Marriage, Prejean is shown at the Miss USA competition last month where she answered a question about same-sex marriage by saying she opposed it, drawing both boos and cheers and setting off a raucous debate.
After providing that answer, Prejean was named runner-up to Miss USA. She later said her view on marriage cost her the crown.
As gay marriage opponents have rallied around Miss California, they have also lost key battles in recent weeks.
On Wednesday, New Hampshire's Senate passed a bill to legalize same-sex marriage and if the governor signs it, the state could become the fifth to legalize gay weddings.
Last month, Iowa became the first Midwest state to allow gay marriage, and Vermont became the first to legalize it through legislative action.
Craig Rimmerman, co-editor of "The Politics of Same-Sex Marriage," said Prejean's rise to prominence comes as gay marriage opponents are on the defensive.
"The conservative right is wondering if same-sex marriage is as potent an issue politically as it was in the past," he said. "So for them to have a different spokeswoman who comes at this from a different background, they probably see this as a really positive development."
GIRL FROM VISTA
California is often characterized as a liberal state for politics in Los Angeles and San Francisco, but Prejean comes from a small town, Vista, in conservative San Diego County.
The 21-year-old is not a permanent spokeswoman for the National Organization for Marriage, but in recent weeks she has appeared on TV shows reaffirming her views on gay marriage, and on Thursday she joined the group to launch the TV ad.
"I think that Carrie's story is resonating incredibly," said Maggie Gallagher, the group's president. "Because she comes across as what she is, she's just a genuine, decent, honest person who stood up for truth and gave up the tiara."
In the 1970s, another beauty queen named Anita Bryant, a former Miss Oklahoma, became a voice against homosexuality after leading a campaign to repeal a Miami-area gay rights ordinance. She was famously quoted as saying, "If gays are granted rights, next we'll have to give rights to prostitutes and to people who sleep with St. Bernards and to nail-biters."
In contrast to Bryant's bluntness, Prejean has said she means "no offense," a phrase she used at the Miss USA pageant while answering a question from gay celebrity blogger Perez Hilton by stating, "in my country and in my family, I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman."
Keith Lewis, the co-executive director of the Miss California pageant, said Prejean was attended to by gay beauty experts before the Miss USA contest, and that he always knew her to be friendly to gays like himself.
But Lewis said he was disappointed with her stance against same-sex weddings, and that while she keeps her crown as Miss California, she is speaking for herself on gay marriage.
(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis: Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/entertainment/5536489/miss-california-appears-antigay-marriage-ad/
Now this puts a whole different slant on things.
retropian:
--- Quote from: Katie77 on May 01, 2009, 03:46:26 am ---Miss California appears in anti-gay marriage ad
May 1, 2009, 11:27 am
Yahoo!7 Entertainment News
Latest stories and gossip
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - After failing to stop recent gay marriage approvals in several states, opponents have found an attractive, telegenic poster woman in Miss California, a move reminiscent of beauty queen Anita Bryant's 1970s crusade against gay rights.
Miss California, a Christian college student named Carrie Prejean, joined in a television ad campaign against gay marriage this week, upsetting homosexual rights advocates, including a head of the Miss California pageant.
In the commercial from the National Organization for Marriage, Prejean is shown at the Miss USA competition last month where she answered a question about same-sex marriage by saying she opposed it, drawing both boos and cheers and setting off a raucous debate.
After providing that answer, Prejean was named runner-up to Miss USA. She later said her view on marriage cost her the crown.
As gay marriage opponents have rallied around Miss California, they have also lost key battles in recent weeks.
On Wednesday, New Hampshire's Senate passed a bill to legalize same-sex marriage and if the governor signs it, the state could become the fifth to legalize gay weddings.
Last month, Iowa became the first Midwest state to allow gay marriage, and Vermont became the first to legalize it through legislative action.
Craig Rimmerman, co-editor of "The Politics of Same-Sex Marriage," said Prejean's rise to prominence comes as gay marriage opponents are on the defensive.
"The conservative right is wondering if same-sex marriage is as potent an issue politically as it was in the past," he said. "So for them to have a different spokeswoman who comes at this from a different background, they probably see this as a really positive development."
GIRL FROM VISTA
California is often characterized as a liberal state for politics in Los Angeles and San Francisco, but Prejean comes from a small town, Vista, in conservative San Diego County.
The 21-year-old is not a permanent spokeswoman for the National Organization for Marriage, but in recent weeks she has appeared on TV shows reaffirming her views on gay marriage, and on Thursday she joined the group to launch the TV ad.
"I think that Carrie's story is resonating incredibly," said Maggie Gallagher, the group's president. "Because she comes across as what she is, she's just a genuine, decent, honest person who stood up for truth and gave up the tiara."
In the 1970s, another beauty queen named Anita Bryant, a former Miss Oklahoma, became a voice against homosexuality after leading a campaign to repeal a Miami-area gay rights ordinance. She was famously quoted as saying, "If gays are granted rights, next we'll have to give rights to prostitutes and to people who sleep with St. Bernards and to nail-biters."
In contrast to Bryant's bluntness, Prejean has said she means "no offense," a phrase she used at the Miss USA pageant while answering a question from gay celebrity blogger Perez Hilton by stating, "in my country and in my family, I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman."
Keith Lewis, the co-executive director of the Miss California pageant, said Prejean was attended to by gay beauty experts before the Miss USA contest, and that he always knew her to be friendly to gays like himself.
But Lewis said he was disappointed with her stance against same-sex weddings, and that while she keeps her crown as Miss California, she is speaking for herself on gay marriage.
(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis: Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/entertainment/5536489/miss-california-appears-antigay-marriage-ad/
Now this puts a whole different slant on things.
--- End quote ---
It is not surprising she would be used as a front/spokesperson for anti-gay hate groups. She is pretty and telegenic and uses polite and unoffensive language (to many) and so she can be used as a tool to try and con people. The comment in the article about how friendly she is to gay people reminds me of white people in the 50's and 60's who where also good law abiding church going folk who would say they had no problem with the "Negro's", and could and would be perfectly nice and civil to the black people in their communities, so long as they didn't get "uppity" and demand their full and equal rights. People like Miss. CA. are like that. They're fine with Gay people, so long as they know their place and are content to ride in the back of the bus.
Katie77:
--- Quote from: retropian on May 01, 2009, 06:01:28 am ---It is not surprising she would be used as a front/spokesperson for anti-gay hate groups. She is pretty and telegenic and uses polite and unoffensive language (to many) and so she can be used as a tool to try and con people. The comment in the article about how friendly she is to gay people reminds me of white people in the 50's and 60's who where also good law abiding church going folk who would say they had no problem with the "Negro's", and could and would be perfectly nice and civil to the black people in their communities, so long as they didn't get "uppity" and demand their full and equal rights. People like Miss. CA. are like that. They're fine with Gay people, so long as they know their place and are content to ride in the back of the bus.
--- End quote ---
Very well put, and excellent comparisons made between her and the civil rights issues.
I have been constant in my posts here, that I thought she did not deserve to be called a bigot. On the facade of the beauty pageant and the sudden question given to her, plus the fact that I believed that she was set up by that bloke who asked her the question, I preferred to look at it, as an honest answer from her about HER opinion on gay marriage. Nothing more, nothing less. I did not agree with her opinion, but I preferred to accept that it was her opinion and she was forced to make a statement about it to millions of people.
But now this, she is authorising and is pleased about the fact that her statement is now being used in the media to promote voters to vote for Prop 8.
Now in my opinion she has crossed the line, and I now do accept that she is a bigot.
I hope that the many people who did feel sorry for her put in that position at the Beauty pageant, that they now realize she is going to use her notoriety to attract homophobic votes. I am bloody disgusted with her, absolutely disgusted, and can only hope that her five minutes of fame is just that, ONLY A MERE FIVE MINUTES.
I can also only hope that voters will give her the credibility that she deserves, that is of a pretty faced bimbo who is trying to make a quick buck out of other peoples sorrow, and their rights to what they deserve.
injest:
actually, Sue, I blame Perez and his supporters. If he had not thrown his hysterical rant and made her a sympathetic character, she would be a footnote, a joke (as was the last beauty show contestant that flubbed a question)
He handed (as I knew he was) the anti gay crowd a ready made poster girl. A beautiful young Christian woman who was true to her beliefs, attacked and vilified by the PC police.
Did you really NOT see this coming? seriously??
Perez made her with his self righteous, self indulgent rantings....now the REST of the gay community have to deal with the consequences.
Katie77:
--- Quote from: injest on May 01, 2009, 06:59:12 am ---actually, Sue, I blame Perez and his supporters. If he had not thrown his hysterical rant and made her a sympathetic character, she would be a footnote, a joke (as was the last beauty show contestant that flubbed a question)
He handed (as I knew he was) the anti gay crowd a ready made poster girl. A beautiful young Christian woman who was true to her beliefs, attacked and vilified by the PC police.
Did you really NOT see this coming? seriously??
Perez made her with his self righteous, self indulgent rantings....now the REST of the gay community have to deal with the consequences.
--- End quote ---
Oh, I do not like him at all. Not that I have seen much of him, actually, the only think I have ever read of him, is about this issue. I dont like how he set her up, and I believe because of his egotistical moment of grandeur he has done a lot of harm to the cause of the gay community.
As for little Miss "get a quick buck, cause no one will even know who I am in six months time", well, Ive said what I think of her now.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version