Opposite of opposites attract, too

Case in point: The reigning Miss California Carrie Prejean who, despite a well-publicized turn as a quasi-topless model and even better circulated opinion that not every relationship deserves recognition, will keep her crown and represent the Golden State alongside similarly buffed and bleached and augmented beauty queens who competed last month for the national title.

While Prejean’s crown was jeopardized by a series of photos that surfaced showing her wearing little more than some delicate unmentionables and a come-hither look, it is her response to a question about gay marriage during the state pageant that really drew heated opinion.

In the wake of her explanation that not supporting same-sex marriage is "just how she was raised,” Prejean became the poster girl for the National Organization for Marriage and left detractors wondering what happened to the days when pageant contestants simply wanted world peace and butterflies for all the children.

While Prejean’s opinion is sad — particularly in a state that likely harbors a great number of other queens who actually still care about sparkly evening wear competitions and flaming baton-twirling talent displays — but shouldn’t be outright dismissed in a state that was willing to pass Proposition 8. At least she doesn’t hail from a more enlightened state like Iowa or Maine that actually had the decency to think equality is a pretty good trait for all people, not just those in heels and a sash.

What is ridiculous, though, is the inarticulate way Prejean actually explained her position through a blinding white smile: "I think it’s great that Americans are able to choose one or the other. We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage.”

First of all, marriage is only a choice for gay couples in a very narrow slate of states not including Prejean’s territory. More importantly, though, "opposite marriage?” What the heck is that? Does that make gay marriage opposite of opposite marriage? And don’t opposites attract which means opposites of opposites really attracts?

Prejean isn’t the first tiara wearer to fumble. Remember Lauren Caitlin Upton, the Miss South Carolina Teen USA who was asked during the national 2007 pageant why she thought one-fifth of Americans can’t locate the United States on a world map. According to Upton, "I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because, uh, some, people out there in our nation don’t have maps and, uh, I believe that our, uh, education like such as, uh, South Africa and, uh, the Iraq, everywhere like such as, and, I believe that they should, our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S., uh, or, uh, should help South Africa and should help the Iraq and the Asian countries, so we will be able to build up our future, for our [children].”

File that one under, thank goodness she’s pretty.

Prejean’s a little harder to categorize as pretty but dumb because she didn’t just ramble incoherently like Upton. Instead she offered an opinion that, while oddly worded, is damaging and in the midst of the Semi-Nude for Jesus scandal (by the way, there’s nude and then there’s opposite nude) is hypocritical.

Allowing her to keep her crown in flagrant violation of pageant policy would be similarly hypocritical. In 1984, then-Miss America Vanessa Williams was stripped of her crown when nude photos came to light. Granted, a lot has changed in 25 years but obviously not intolerance, for both gays and Christian beauty queens looking to score some cash before the cameras.

What the pageant officials, aka Donald Trump, decided to do about Prejean is their business. But although I strongly disagree with Prejean’s voiced opinion, she should not be replaced after the fact simply because a number of people find it distasteful.

Think of how empty government would be by recalling all the boobs whose opinions don’t properly represent constituents.

Michelle Durand’s column "Off the Beat” runs every Tuesday and Thursday. She can be reached by

e-mail: michelle@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 102. What do you think of this

column? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com.