Miss California, Carrie Prejean, made a huge boo-boo, according to judge Perez Hilton of www.PerezHilton.com. Hilton asked Prejean, during the Miss USA Beauty Pageant, if she thought that every state should follow Vermont’s example, and legalize same-sex marriage and why.

She replied, “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 anybody out there, but that’s how I was raised, and that’s how I think it should be between a man and a woman.”

Perez was royally offended by this answer and he claims Miss California doesn’t represent the American view. I hate to break it to Mr. Perez, but Miss California is not the only person in this country who feels the way she does.

Hilton, who was also a guest on the Larry King show following the pageant, remarked that Prejean’s answer, “was a bad answer.” I guess because Hilton believes that gay marriage should be legal, than everyone in this country should believe that also. Obviously it is clear where his convictions lie, but who is he to proclaim that everyone else in this country should feel as he does? Frankly his attitude could be perceived just as offensively as some do Miss California’s.

A survey posted on The Pew Forum states that 59% of those surveyed oppose gay marriage, while 32% favor the legal union. About 10% say the constitution should be rewritten to include verbiage banning gay marriage all together.

This survey shows that if you are between 20 and 35 years-old, you are more likely to support gay marriage. If you’re 40 to 70 years-old, you don’t think it’s a good idea, by a whooping 70%.

When asked of the folks who don’t believe gay marriage is the thing to do, many feel it is an immoral or sinful way to be. Approximately 17% who oppose, say they feel gay marriage is a conflict with their own religious beliefs.

Worst Answer In History

Hilton believes that Prejean gave, “the worst answer in pageant history.” I find that amusing. Not only did Prejean include the “no offense” clause, she also included the reason why she believes gay marriage is wrong. She was raised to believe it. In her family a man and a woman constitute a marriage, pure and simple.

Recently I had an encounter with a child who refused to pick up his toys after a play date at a neighbor’s house. I did not know this child, but he was adamant that he should have no responsibility for picking up any of the toys he got out of the toy chest. This child, who was all of six-years-old, looked at me defiantly and stated that he didn’t have to do it because his mother always does it for him. When I tried again to include him in the task, he said his father never helped his mother clean up, so he shouldn’t have to either.

Bingo! What a head slap. This little man was becoming the man his father was just by simply observing the actions of his father. It was hard not to wonder what else this child was learning at home. To me it reeked of disrespect and arrogance. It was hard to blame the child. I looked more towards the father and what he was teaching his son in regards to women and responsibility.

Children Learn From What They See

Children learn from what they see and hear. Simple words can become larger-than-life beliefs when heard through the ears of a child. They absorb everything even when we aren’t looking. For Miss California, she was probably molded into believing what her household taught. And aren’t we all victims of this? Every one of us is shaped by our surroundings. Even in the most open, inclusive homes, parental beliefs are sifting through the pockets of children’s perceptions. When we become adults, we can change and adopt new ideas and attitudes, but many of us hold onto what we were taught by our parents.

Hilton’s view is that for someone to become Miss USA, she must be all inclusive, and all understanding with every issue under the sun. She must include those she disagrees with, and those whose views vastly differ from hers. She must be held to the highest principals possible and be the role model for all youth and everyone she comes in contact with. I don’t know about you, but that is a pretty high moral mountain to climb. Hilton certainly hasn’t reached it. If he had, he would have accepted Prejean’s views and been understanding that they differed from his. But he didn’t. He stuck to his own belief that gay marriage should be legal and appropriate for all people, and he is proclaiming it to the entire world.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Gay marriage is a hot topic. It would be wonderful if everyone could live and let live, but it seems we have a ways to go with that motto, with this issue, at least in this country.

If the winner, Miss North Carolina's Kristen Dalton had pulled Hilton’s question from the fish bowl the night of the pageant, I wonder what she would have said. For Carrie Prejean, she just got the pink herring of questions, and even though she gave a truthful answer, she is still being ridiculed for it.

Sad.