Boo, Miss California, Boo.

Perez Hilton asked Carrie Prejean, Miss California at the Miss America competition, her opinion on gay marriage and she said: “Well, I think it’s a great that Americans are able to choose one or the other.  We live in a land that you can choose same sex marriage or opposite marriage and, you know what, in my country, and in my family, I think that I believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman, no offense to anyone out there, but that is how I was raised and I think it should be between a man and a woman.  Thank you.”

The only aspect of this exchange that made me happy was that the audience booed.

Maybe that sounds mean, spiteful, or immature.  People do have the freedom to say whatever they please, and to express their individual opinions, even if these expressions are inarticulate and factually incorrect.  In the US people are allowed to be bigots, misogynists, xenophobes, or any other of many hateful things. And they’re not discriminated against, at least not in an institutionalized manner: the government can’t do anything about it.  By law people are not allowed to be treated unequally for having such opinions.  This is a good thing.  This is the same concept that allows us freedom of the press and permits us to criticize our leaders.  But it is also happens to be what gives us the right to criticize the haters.

I think most of us can agree that there is a difference between a well-run, truth-seeking news outlet and a bigot.  One is a desired part of society, one is not.  And the only way we have to encourage one over the other is through social pressure: journalism is a respected profession, bigotry is not.

The reason gay marriage is even a debate is because public opinion allows it to be, and the pro-”traditional marriage” camp uses that to their advantage constantly.  Fox News ran an article Thursday about Hollywood’s current activity in the gay marriage debate: specifically celebrities that denounced Prejean (there weren’t many) and others that participated in the NOM storm ad parody (if you don’t know what I’m referring to, see here).  The article, titled “Pro-gay marriage Hollywood piles on Miss California,” gave the impression that Hollywood’s liberal gay marriage supporters were ruthlessly attacking those with differing views.

Prejean has projected similar vibes in the slew of interviews she’s given since losing the Miss America crown: my answer lost me the crown, I’m being punished for my beliefs, etc, etc.  She presents herself as the victim.  (At least one judge did come forward to say that her answer affected her evaluation, but Donald Trump has said firmly that it did not affect the outcome.)  And unfortunately, she gets support from many of those that agree with her.  Trump mentioned that most of the letters received by the Miss America foundation were in her support.  Comments on websites include many statements that express being proud of Prejean for her courage.  And most depressingly: the state of Arkansas passed a resolution praising her. 

Bigotry is bigotry.  The only reason so many people are supporting her and anybody is proud of her is because being a bigot with regard to homosexuality is still publicly accepted.  The ultimate goal of the LGBT fight is for equality: the general acceptance by society that homosexuals and transgendered people are equal and consequently a general disapproving attitude towards bigotry that ostracizes those that disagree. 

This is why it was such a relief to hear the audience boo when Miss California told them, as far as I can surmise from her somewhat tangled and nonsensical answer, that she is a bigot.  We should boo. We can’t discriminate against her, or prevent her from expressing her opinion, but we should express our disapproval.  Eventually, so many people will express their disapproval and so few people will express their approval that she will reconsider her beliefs. 

That being said, Obama’s stance on gay marriage, while much more articulate, is scarily similar to Prejean’s.  What should we do about it?

Boo.

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