Frustrated

So, given that I am naturally extremely opinionated, I wanted to comment on Perez Hilton's blog about the whole Miss USA debacle, but I didn't want to give him the attention he craved by posting on his website.

So what's the big deal? Perez asked Miss California her opinion on extending gay-rights. A pertinent question for today's time, but definately one that is so taboo that it would almost seem unfair to put the question to all of the contestants. Carrie Prejean began by arguing that there is some right to choose in this country, yet she believes according to her upbringing that marriage is defined between a man and a woman. Perez's outrage against her is that she would not properly represent the diversity of people within the US and that she was therefore a bad candidate for Miss USA. So he gave her a zero for her score. They both agreed that her answer lost her the crown. Not only did her opinion cost her the crown, but she has been continually harassed by Hilton on his website and in media interviews.

I personally would not qualify her opinion as "hate." Her views were not expressed in hostility, though she may not be fully aware of the legal consequences that the LGBT community face by not being able to marry. Regardless, I applaud her for sharing her views even when she knew it would be unpopular and would cost her something that she deeply desired. She also does not seem to be crying foul for her loss and is simply making her views known through media outlets.

Ironically, this news (for me at least) came on the same day that I found out that the Westboro Baptist Church (a hate group listed by a certain important organizations that I can't remember the name of) picketed in front of the Duke Medical Center. I was incredibly happy to hear that Duke Chapel opened its sacred doors to host a breakfast for the LGBT community to show love to them and reaffirm that the views of WBC is not the Gospel.

Prejean's comments paled in comparision to the horrific language and views of the WBC. Simultaneously, Perez's response also paled in comparison to the means of correction that Duke showed. He attacked Prejean for alienating people (yet he suffers from minor myopia that her opinion is not rare and is shared by many--included their home state of California through a voting referendum). Perhaps she could have left out the comment that she saw her country agreeing with her opinion, but she did assert that she was aware that others have the right to choose.

Both Prejean, Perez and myself are equally broken people. I was shocked at Prejean's provocative clothing and photos, her self-identity tied into beauty pageants and her links with Michael Phelps (he's not worth her time given his own maturity issues). But Perez comes off as intolerant to those who do not hold his opinion, his website is overly obsessed with gossip, sex and dehumanization (i mean this in the sense of degrading what was meant to be godly about humans). I know that I too am broken, but I had to vent my frustration and lament. I'm not ashamed that I care about something so trivial because deep within me it reveals the burden that I carry for our collective brokenness as humans.