Miss California defends gay marriage comments

Illustrated rainbow pride flag on a pink background.

Miss California Carrie Prejan believes that it was her candid opinions on same-sex marriage that lost her the title of Miss USA as she was named runner-up with Miss North Carolina, Kristen Dalton winning the title.

Prejan had been a favourite to win the contest but after proclaiming her beliefs that “a marriage should be between a man and a woman”, she became the first Miss USA contestant to be booed.

She was asked the question by celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, who later called her a “dumb bitch”.

Opening up in an interview with Billy Bush for The Billy Bush Show, Carrie confessed: “It did cost me my crown”.

But despite this, she maintained: “I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I said what I feel. I stated an opinion that was true to myself and that’s all I can do.

“It is a very touchy subject and he (Hilton) is a homosexual and I see where he was coming from and I see the audience would’ve wanted me to be more politically correct,” she added.

“But I was raised in a way that you can never compromise your beliefs and your opinions for anything.”

Ironically, in the same interview, Preejan informed viewers that while her sister is not a lesbian she is a gay rights activist.

“She supports gay people, she supports gay marriage. My beliefs have nothing to do with my sister or my mom, or whatever.”