HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Miss California Carrie Prejean now has a second controversy brewing.
On Monday, a gossip Web site posted a topless photo of the 21-year-old pageant contestant that was taken when she was a teenager. In the racy shot, Prejean is seen wearing pink panties as she covers up with her back turned to the camera.
In a statement to The Associated Press, the San Diego native said the release of the controversial photo is an attempt to belittle her faith.
“I am a Christian and I am a model. Models pose for pictures, including lingerie and swimwear photos,” said Prejean. “The photos of me taken as a teenager have been released surreptitiously to a tabloid website that openly mocks me for me for my Christian faith. I am not perfect and I will never claim to be perfect.”
Prejean, a native of San Diego, was thrust into the public spotlight at the Miss USA pageant last month when she was quizzed by celebrity blogger and gay-rights advocate Perez Hilton.
“Vermont recently became the fourth state to legalize same-sex marriage,” said Hilton. “Do you think every state should follow suit, why or why not?”
“We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage,” responded Prejean, who finished as the first runner-up. “And you know what, I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that’s how I was raised.”
Prejean has since capitalized on her newfound fame by campaigning against same-sex marriage, a platform that has been denounced by Miss California USA pageant officials.
“In the entire history of Miss USA, no reigning title holder has so readily committed her face and voice to a more divisive or polarizing issue,” read a statement issued last week by pageant organizers. “We are deeply saddened Carrie Prejean has forgotten her platform of the Special Olympics, her commitment to all Californians, and solidified her legacy as one that goes beyond the right to voice her beliefs and instead reveals her opportunistic agenda.”
Last week, Prejean was in the nation’s capital to help the National Organization for Marriage launch a campaign against same-sex marriage. She defended her actions during an appearance on NBC’s “Today Show.”
“I was attacked for giving my own opinion on the stage of the Miss USA contest. And I’m going to do whatever it takes to protect marriage. It’s something that is very dear to my heart,” she told host Matt Lauer.
“The National Organization for Marriage basically just respects marriages and people who support it,” she added. “That’s what I’m here to do today — to protect traditional marriage.”
