MISS USA FURORE RAGES ON

The controversy sparked by her comments on gay marriage during the Miss USA beauty pageant is reason she lost the crown, Miss California – Carrie Prejean – said in an interview with Billy Bush of The Billy Bush Show.

Prejean, who is rumoured to be dating Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, maintained in the interview with Bush that she 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. I was raised in a way that you can never compromise your beliefs and your opinions for anything.”

Prejean’s response to gossip guru Perez Hilton’s pageant question on same-sex marriage caused an uproar when she said: “I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman – no offense to anyone out there – but that’s how I was raised and that’s how I think it should be.”

Prejean went on to become the pageant’s runner-up, with Miss North Carolina, Kristen Dalton, taking the crown. Now, stars such as Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus have voiced their opinions about her comment on their Twitter blogs.

Spears said: “Love is love! People should be able to do whatever makes them happy!” and devout Christian Cyrus wrote: “Jesus loves you AND your partner and wants you to know how much he cares! thats like a daddy not loving his lil boy cuz hes gay and that is WRONG and very sad! like i said everyone deserves to be happy.”

Neil G. Giuliano, president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) responded to the controversy in a statement, saying: “Much of the media’s coverage of this story seems to be missing the main point, which is that what Prejean said is simply inaccurate.

“Contrary to Prejean’s claim that people can choose who they want to marry, loving, committed gay and lesbian couples are in fact denied that choice in all but a few states, and all such couples are also denied the federal security and protections that come with marriage.”