Miss California Resurrected Gay Marriage Debate | ABC30 Fresno

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By ABC30

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Fresno, CA Whether Carrie Prejean was nervous and elaborated too much or was just being true to the way she was brought up, Fresno Gay Rights Activist Robin McGehee says Miss California needs to know her comments instantly alienated many.

Robin McGehee said, "In those moments, you are put under a pressure cooker and you are going to say things that maybe you wouldn't have said had you not been in those moments. Doesn't mean that a person needs to be crucified or put over the flames but they should be called out for it. And I think that's the best thing, the public dialogue about why that's not appropriate."

Reverend Jim Franklin says the gay community and others should be coming to Prejean's defense because she voiced her opinion, a right entitled to every American.

Rev. Jim Franklin said, "I mean, I'm asking where's the ACLU? Here's a group that's supposed to stand up for civil liberties. Her civil liberties have been denied of freedom of speech. Where's now, the national organization for women. Here's a woman who's been villainized because she merely spoke what she thought. She's been called all types of names."

Pageant Co-Owner Donald Trump defended her answer last week on "The View".

Donald Trump said, "That's the belief of 70 percent of the people so it wasn't a horrible answer."

John Cosby is a judge for the Miss America Pageant, a rival of the Miss USA Pageant. He feels Prejean was set up by the question.

John Cosby said, "He's got a loaded question by a tabloid guy who's just a specialist at ripping people apart. The loaded question means there's almost no way out of answering that question legitimately. Because half of people in ca want gay marriage and half of them don't."

Cosby says he thinks the non politically correct comment cost her the crown. Had she won it, he believes she would have been picketed during appearances, creating even more controversy.