Carrie Prejean

Carrie Prejean posing for Deal or No Deal

Carrie Prejean is a beauty queen from San Diego, California who has competed in the Miss USA series of pageants. She was Miss California USA 2009, and the first runner up for Miss USA 2009.

Miss Prejean has appeared as a model for the stores Target, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdales, Nordstrom; and in the magazines Bliss Magazine, and PJ Salvage Fall Catalog 2008. She also appeared as a model for E! Entertainment in the Academy Awards and as 2nd Runner-Up on the Deal or No Deal Season 3 Model Search.

She is a 2005 graduate of Vista High School in Vista, CA.

Personal life

Prejean is a student at San Diego Christian College, a college which was founded to promote biblical creationism in higher education. She is studying to become a special education teacher and spends her spare time volunteering for the Best Buddies non profit organization, a program that helps people with disabilities. Prejean is also a volunteer for the Special Olympics.

Controversy

Main article: Miss USA 2009 Controversy

Prejean was asked by contest judge Perez Hilton whether she believed every state should legalize same-sex marriage. In her response, she stated that she believed marriage "should be between a man and a woman" continuing on to say "No offense to anybody out there, but that's how I was raised and that's how I think; that it should be between a man and a woman." The following day, Perez Hilton disparaged the contestant on his weblog as a "dumb b**ch", edited a still image taken from the broadcast with an illustration of a penis ejaculating on her face and later stated that the way she answered the question directly caused her to lose the competition, "The way Miss California answered her question lost her the crown, without a doubt!"

Prejean's answer sparked considerable controversy. Perez Hilton had claimed that the co-directors of the Miss California USA organization have expressed sadness and regret regarding her answer, this was denied by co-executive director Keith Lewis who said he did not release a statement to the celebrity blogger and said, "I support Carrie's right to express her personal beliefs even if they do not coincide with my own, I believe the subject of gay marriage deserves a great deal more conversation in order to heal the divide it has created." Others, however, have applauded Prejean for giving her forthright and honest, albeit rambling and incoherent answer to the question.