Miss California to Perez Hilton "I've been violated!"
Carrie Prejean came to the public eye when asked if she supported gay marriage. She didn't. Carrie Prejean claims that she's is being denied the right to her opinions. Herein lies the error in her reasoning. What she objects to is not that she is being denied the right to her opinions, but that others don't share them and won't support them. Hence her claim that she has been punished by being denied the Miss America crown. In fact not only has Carrie Prejean been allowed the right to her opinions, she has even been granted the opportunity to express them to a national audience. This opportunity was offered to her by, ironically enough, a gay man, gossip columnist Perez Hilton.It's not an issue, it's a matter of clarity
If Prejean was not to be judged on her response to the question then why ask her? I assume that is the point of quizzing pageant contestants. If her response was not to be judged, then the question would've been pointless. I suppose that Miss America is some kind of representative of her society. She certainly represents the pageant and the Miss America organization. So pageant judges have the right to decide if a contestant is an appropriate representative based on her views, and whether or not they represent those of the pageant and it's organizers, if not the nation at large. That's their right.
Miss California has a responsibility problem!
Having the right to your opinions also means taking responsibility for them. That seems to be the bit Miss California has a problem with. The Miss America pageant has taken responsibility for their position by making a decision, and standing by it. Expecting others to share and support your opinions is to deny them the right to their own. Ms. Prejean placed herself in a position where should would be judged, on her ability to answer topical questions as well as on her shiny new plastic tits. So I suppose she should accept the pageant's right to judge her responses, and whether they find her an adequate representative of their organization. Ms. Prejean can have any opinions she wants on same sex marriage, or anything else. Her expectation that society should support her for her opinions, rather than merely allowing her the right to have them, denies others the right to their opinions. It's also a bit childish. If she had more clarity about her position, then maybe there would be less controversy.
right vs entitlement?
So Carrie Prejean is wrong. She's not wrong in her views about gay marriage - just as those who support gay marriage aren't wrong either. They are personal views, and you can't be wrong about a personal opinion. If she really feels that strongly about it then I suggest that she not marry a woman. So unless she is being coerced into some same sex union, I can only assume that her right to her opinions is being respected. Carrie's error is in thinking that she is entitled to be Miss America, and that giving the crown to some one else is a suppression of her rights. She has confused the issue. She has not been denied the right to her opinion, she has only been denied a beauty pageant crown and the right to represent an organization.
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