Caressa Cameron, the 22-year-old communications student at Virginia Commonwealth University, was crowned Miss America on Saturday, a non-news event you’re excused for missing entirely. This is different from Miss USA, the pageant the ensnared Carrie Prejean in a bout of anti-gay publicity. But Cameron, the reigning Miss Virginia, is also no friend to homos.
Though she didn’t take the question during the Miss America pageant, during her fourth (and successful) try to become Miss Virginia, she told judges that she believed in opposite-sex marriage only because of her religious beliefs, but didn’t want a law out there banning gay marriage.
She is, however, making a name for herself as an AIDS activist. With an uncle who died from the disease and her family fostering a HIV-positive child, Cameron says she wants to use her crown to raise AIDS awareness.
terrwill
Where’s Marios tiara??? : P
Michael
I think your headline is misleading. Yes, she doesn’t believe in SSM, but she doesn’t think there should be a law banning them. I think we need to respect her right to believe what she believes but should applaud the fact that she respects that a legal blockage to SSM should not exist.
Asop
I’m with michael. A very nice voice of reason.
TommyOC
@Michael: @Asop: Thank you, you two, for reading the article! And shame on Queerty for misleading headlines.
Also… you don’t have to be a “friend of the homo” to NOT be an enemy. Miss America may not be advocating for our rights, but it doesn’t look like she’s going to stand in our way, either.
That makes her better than half of the people in this country… and totally unworthy of our sniping.
Congrats, Ms. Virginia!
Taylor Siluwé
Michael,
I think the title is correct. And the article goes into the details alluding that she’s probably not an evangelical ‘phobe who has tea with Maggie Gallagher.
However, when I went to the article and found this – after answering the big gay question, and after going on to win, she had a quiet moment on stage: ‘Thy will be done,’ That’s what I kept saying,” she said. “Thy will be done.” – makes me re-think the whole evangelical thing.
I don’t know this woman from a basket of sequins, but if her God has nothing better to do than dole out Tiaras, I don’t think I like either one of them.
Lukas P.
Problem is that for so many beauty pageant winners is that the Tiara becomes the highlight of their life and they are remembered for that title and the rest sort of goes down hill…
Good for her not wanting to ban samesex marriage but after her “thy will be done” utterances, I do hope her idea of “AIDS Activism” is based more on compassion and science than on religious views on demons and deviants.
Oh: Guess who one of the judges was? RUSH LIMBAUGH. Really.
dontblamemeivotedforhillary
She’s not that pretty which is why Venezuela will win Miss Universe again!
romeo
I can’t see getting shook over a bimbo whose only public exposure will be opening Piggly Wiggly’s in Crystal Springs Mississippi. (Don’t know if Piggly Wiggly is still around, but was shocked to find out “Miss America” was.
Tackle
@DONTBLAMEIVOTEDFORHILLARY
Please do your homework. Miss America does not compete in the Miss Universe. Thats Miss USA.
Taylor Siluwé
@ No. 8 · romeo
LOL! According to PigglyWiggly.com [LMAO], they’re certainly still around, in:
Alabama
*
Arkansas
*
Florida
*
Georgia
*
Kentucky
*
Louisiana
*
Minnesota
*
Missouri
*
Mississippi
*
North Carolina
*
Oklahoma
*
South Carolina
*
Tennessee
*
Virginia
*
Wisconsin
I don’t know about you, but I’ll sleep better knowing this. 😉
Kieran
Imagine a newly crowned white Miss America saying “I don’t believe in whites marrying blacks myself because of my religious beliefs, but I’m opposed to laws that would outlaw inter-racial marriages.” The newsmedia would be demanding her bigoted tiara-wearing scalp on a silver platter.
Javier
Yet again, your headline is misleading. Her personal religious beliefs do not support gay marriage, but she does not believe the secular law should outlaw them. I find her position rather tolerant.
Lucas
“Imagine a newly crowned white Miss America saying “I don’t believe in whites marrying blacks myself because of my religious beliefs, but I’m opposed to laws that would outlaw inter-racial marriages.” The newsmedia would be demanding her bigoted tiara-wearing scalp on a silver platter.”
Rather we like it or not, they are not the same. Mainstream religious belief regarding same-sex marriage versus interracial marriage makes the comparison inapposite. Same-sex marriage is not accepted by the vast number of religions in this country, whereas there is no specific mainstream religious prohibition on interracial prohibition. There is a real difference.
McShane
No. 11 · Kieran : you caught the disconnect; pretty hard in the U.S. where religion and government aren’t separate to believe one thing religiously and switch around legally.
dontblamemeivotedforhillary
@Tackle – only uneducated gays who dress in Mom’s drag and hick Republican women watch pageants. Which one are you?
Cat Walker
i dont care what this dumb bitch from these dumbmer shows has to say…i just hope his make up/hair guys mess her up a little bit
merkin
Traditional Judaism sees intermarriage between a Jew and a non-Jew as immoral. If a Jewish Miss America said she was against Jews marrying nonJews but wouldnt want a law banning it, she’d be pilloried. And religion is a choice.
jason
What did you expect? She’s black. Black children are brought up in very religious households not unlike extreme Moslem households. They are also the world’s biggest hypocrites in that they don’t adhere to their tenets. Just look at the alley cat-like behavior of black men.
Don’t fall for the idea that black = nice. It’s not always the case. Some black people are gorgeous and fair but not these ones.
jason
This new Miss America says she’s biblical yet she participates in a sexist competition that reduces women to cardboard cut-out stereotypes who are beholden to hairspray and hair removal. Give me a freakin’ break.
She’s a great big hypocrite, that’s all I can say.
Lucas
“If a Jewish Miss America said she was against Jews marrying nonJews but wouldnt want a law banning it, she’d be pilloried.”
I don’t know about that. I certainly wouldn’t object. People with strong religious beliefs are expected to marry people with the same religious beliefs, and many religions forbid people from marrying outside their faith because it might undermine the faith. I know many Christians strongly believe that to marry a non-Christian is to be unequally yoked, so at least from them, you won’t get much objection.
sam
I can’t believe all the people defending her. Why doesn’t she support it? Her religion, and that a good enough excuse? Hiding behind religion? Aren’t all evangelicals like that, hiding behind religion?
As for Lukas, yes comparing her view on same sex marriage is similar to those against interracial marriage. And yes, there was a mainstream religious prohibition on interracial marriage.
Most people in the 60s when interracial marriage was made legal were against it. It was wrong then, and it is still wrong now. Infact when the law came into effect, some states took years for them to finally implement it!
Just like it’s wrong now to be against SSM, and it will wrong 40 years from now. I just hope 40 years from now, most will have no problem with SSM.
Just because you hide behind religion for your stance against SSM, it does not stop you from being a bigot. Religion as an excuse is no better than “ew, two guys together is icky” excuse.
“Don’t fall for the idea that black = nice.” – Jason, do you know any black people? Any black friends. You write about them like they are some alien creature. I’m not denying black homophobia, but wow. We aren’t that bad. And it’s Muslim not whatever you wrote.
Taylor Siluwé
@No. 17 · jason –
*sigh* Was that assessment of Black people designed to get a rise? I think it was. You can’t really be that stupid in the real world, can you? Because in the real world, it would be pretty difficult to walk away from a statement like that.
It’s people like you — by making generalizations about things you know absolutely nothing about, not giving a spit that you’re being offensive — who give Queety its rep as the home of the Pink Hoods.
Fortunately, most of us are smart enough to know that one idiot does not a racist site make.
Bianca
Why on earth would anyone give a shit what a “beauty queen” (who isn’t even pretty) has to say about ANYTHING?
tjr101
@jason:” What did you expect? She’s black. Black children are brought up in very religious households not unlike extreme Moslem households. They are also the world’s biggest hypocrites in that they don’t adhere to their tenets. Just look at the alley cat-like behavior of black men.”
Now I have to ask, what makes you different from a member of the KKK after making an utterly dumb, stupid statement like that?
You generalize and stereotype just like the bigots in American society. There are gay bigots right here on this blog.
reason
@sam:
If someone is religious and doesn’t believe in something but is going to do nothing to obstruct it, (live and let live) where is the problem. If radical Islam had it’s negative view about us but was like so be it were not going to do anything to hurt them we would be at peace right now. Were in Christan doctrine is there a prohibition against interracial marriage?
As for very religious Jews, Christians, and Muslims interfaith marriage is generally a non starter unless someone is converting. In Israel most of the religious Jews feel like Islam is closer to Judaism then Christianity, but the two still exist peacefully due to live and let live. The Jews and Muslims well look how that has turned out. Why start up a fight with a religious person that will not stand in your way? Isn’t that one of the things that we are trying to accomplish in the more right wing sections of the Christian community? Sometimes people in our communities own hatred impairs our progress.
Hypocrite I was not aware that there was a religious rule against beauty pageants in the Christian community, one must be mixing up Christianity and Islam.
I guess the angry wing of the tea party has snaked onto the site, you know there is parts of Mississippi that you would be very happen in away from normal Americans. There is even a couple of swamps down there that you can cool of in when your anger boils over.
STFU
She’s an AIDS activist… Does Queerty need her to wear a rainbow-flagged tshirt during her talent routine?
Get the fuck over your hyper-faggy selves.
sam
Reason – I just don’t believe her and her “religion” as the reason why she isn’t against gay marriage. my belief is that anybody that is against gay marriage is either a blatant homopohobe or a closet one.
i have always felt that if you are against gay rights at all, there is something in you that is hateful. and i respect those who flat out tell me the truth: “i hate this group” etc instead of hiding behind religion, because she knows she can’t find a single passage in the bible that speaks about gay marriage. or gay anything. and i’m tired of ppl being okay with religion as some valid excuse for hatred.
ppl use verses in the bible to push forward the idea of slavery too…is that okay because the bible tells us so? she’s just another beauty queen without reason and logic, because there is not a single logical reason behind gay marriage.
sam
and maybe i do have anger. you wrote it like its a bad thing and it’s not! black civil rights leaders had anger in the 60s and accomplished a lot. anger is a big part of activism. if you aren’t a little angry at ppl like her being rewarded and saying ridiculous things, when will gay equality ever happen?
we can learn a lot from black civil rights leaders from years past. it wasn’t always about peace marches. and they didn’t always tolerate being left behind and we in turn shouldn’t tolerate her ignorant viewpoint. and if i hear another person claim a progressive view point is when a politician says “we should leave it up to the states” when gay marriage is asked about….dear lord.
how can we tolerate this crap? someone spits on you and you say “oh well”….plz.
sam
AIDS activism doesn’t make one a gay rights supporter. most ppl who have died from aids aren’t gay. you can hate gays and still be a AIDS activist. STFU, seriously?
i thought we all learned in grade school that AIDS was not a gay disease. that girl in a million yrs will never wear rainbow flag.
spindoc
No. 2 · Michael said…
I think your headline is misleading. Yes, she doesn’t believe in SSM, but she doesn’t think there should be a law banning them. I think we need to respect her right to believe what she believes but should applaud the fact that she respects that a legal blockage to SSM should not exist.
___________________________________-
I’m curious, would she be applauding your open-mindedness if you said that you didn’t think blacks and whites should be able to marry because you were Mormon and believed in the mark of cain. But you didn’t think there should be a law against it? Gays seem to be the only group that want applaud people just because their bigotry is prettier than others.
Qjersey
When celebrities, etc, say they are interested in “AIDS” issues, they mean STRAIGHT people. None of them give a rats ass about AIDS among gay/bi/men who have sex with men. It’s all about “those poor children” and those “innocent victims.”
dontblamemeivotedforhillary
Mario Lopez looks prettier than fire dragon-faced Miss Americunt!
Paul
so!
BUSSY
No. 13 · Lucas..
Finally words of wisdom.
I dont see the comparison in interracial marriage challenges and same sex marriage. Any one that has interracial hangups is doing so because of the fact that race is an issue for that person. There is no religious basis for it. Im not saying it makes it right or wrong but that is the fact.
Same sex marriage however…i can quote all the biblical references you want and well throw in some Islamic texts and just a slice of Jewish texts to assist u on that.
Sam
@sam: Nice name.
Also, I believe in freedom of belief and freedom of speech. If this woman wants to believe that there is something wrong with SSM, then that is her right. She does NOT have a right to BAN SSM because of her belief. IMNSHO, it’s refreshing to see a religious person who realizes that it is un-American to impose their religious view on others legislatively (unlike 52% of the people in California and Maine).
For that reason alone, I think she’s a good role model. Maybe she can, by example, teach some of the other ‘phobes that they don’t have to change their minds but they do need to stop fucking with us. Would I want to have her over for tea? Hell no! But I think – in a world where there are going to be die-hard religious folk who are against us – we need more people like this who acknowledge separation of church and state.
Sam
@BUSSY: Give me the verse in the Bible where it says no same-sex marriage.
Peter
Miss Bussy; read Sam No 34 very carefully! He has your answer.!!!
Your religion can say all kinds of things (even if it has been re-translated a couple dozen times by various people), but with the separation of church and state in this country, you should not use YOUR RELIGION to deny other people THEIR RIGHTS.
Religious teachings that violate the Separation of church and state are what has caused nearly all the wars on this planet.
dontblamemeivotedforhillary
There is no God!
By the way, some words on our Sponsor; Saint Lucifer (thnx terrwill:)
Saint Lucia: Situation of homosexuals; availability of support groups and state protection (2006-2009)
The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) indicates that homosexual acts are illegal in Saint Lucia (ILGA May 2009, 35; see also GlobalGayz n.d.; Canada 1 June 2009, Sec. 8). According to Section 133 of Saint Lucia’s Criminal Code, No. 9 of 2004 (Effective 1 January 2005):
1) A person who commits buggery commits an offense and is liable for conviction on indictment to imprisonment for –
a) life, if committed with force and without the consent of the other person
b) ten years, in any other case.
2) Any person who attempts to commit buggery, or commits an assault with intent to commit buggery, commits an offence and is liable to imprisonment for five years.
3) In this section “buggery” means sexual intercourse per anus by a male person with another male person. (ILGA May 2009, 35; Saint Lucia 2004, Sec. 133)
Although there is no law specifically forbidding homosexual acts between two women (United and Strong Mar. 2009), Section 132 of the Criminal Code, regarding “Gross Indecency” states that “[a]ny person who commits an act of gross indecency with another person commits an offence and is liable on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for ten years or on summary conviction for five years” (ILGA May 2009, 35). Gross indecency is defined as “an act other than sexual intercourse (whether natural or unnatural) by a person involving the use of the genital organs for the purpose of arousing or gratifying sexual desire” (ibid.). However, the Criminal Code states that this law does not apply when “committed in private between an adult male person and an adult female person, both of whom consent” (ibid.). In a telephone interview with the Research Directorate, a board member of the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities (CVC), a coalition of community leaders and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) which provides services for groups vulnerable to HIV infection (CVC n.d.), stated that as of June 2009 these laws are still in effect (CVC 10 June 2009). According to the CVC Board Member, the laws are enforced, although not always prosecuted (ibid.).
scott ny'er
@Bianca:
Why on earth would anyone give a shit what a “beauty queen” (who isn’t even pretty) has to say about ANYTHING?
============
QFT, baby!!! QFT.
romeo
@ Taylor #10: Thanks for the research. I am gratified to know that Piggly Wiggly still reigns supreme in Dixie. My mother is from Mississippi and we used to make these pilgrimages in the summer to visit the relatives when I was a kid. Piggly Wiggly was THE supermarket in that little town. Ah, summer in Mississippi. Trust me, hell is gonna be redundant.
Dionte
The last pageant chick already gave them a bad image in my mind.
BUSSY
No. 35 · Sam
major eye roll. So you assume the same bible that calls homosexuality an abomination will sanction marriage between homosexuals…I see.
Look peeps, i am not a religious freak. Im just calling this what it is. We can argue the philosophies all night to no avail. Religion calls homosexuality a sin. Religion does not call interracial marriage a sin. That is why you are not convincing people.
Marriage cannot be a purely legal thing. Not with the way different cultures regard it. What i suggest marriage should be removed from the law books and use civil unions for everyone.
If you want a real marriage go to your church/mosque/synagogue.
BUSSY
No. 35 · Sam
major eye roll. So you assume the same bible that calls homosexuality an abomination will sanction marriage between homosexuals.I see.
Look peeps, i am not a religious freak. Im just calling this what it is. We can argue the philosophies all night to no avail. Religion calls homosexuality a sin. Religion does not call interracial marriage a sin. That is why you are not convincing people.
Marriage cannot be a purely legal thing. Not with the way different cultures regard it. What i suggest marriage should be removed from the law books and use civil unions for everyone.
If you want a real marriage go to your church/mosque/synagogue.
Tackle
@ DONTBLAMEIGOTEDFORHILLARY
Sorry to burst your bubble, but Im neither. But I am informed enough to know that Miss USA and not Miss America who competes In the Universe Pagent.
Sam
@BUSSY: Deuteronomy 7:1-6 prohibits interracial marriage, just as Leviticus 18:22 calls homosexuality “an abomination.” “Christians” say that the first example is specific to the Israelites, yet they deny that the section in Leviticus was also specific to one tribe of people. And if you bring up that the same section forbids eating of shellfish and wearing clothes of mixed fabrics, most “Christians” will say that Jesus’s coming washed away the rules of the Old Testament…but not that GAY ONE!
Jesus had NOTHING to say about homosexuality. Paul condemned men who worshiped goats and fucked each other in the butt as part of pagan ceremony. The few other mentions are even less compelling. But out of sheer hatred, those passages are brought up by “Christians” again and again and again. My point is that it’s not really the Bible that’s the problem. It’s effed up psycho “Christians” who memorize every out-of-context passage about gay sex but conveniently ignore the teachings of Jesus, who said things like “it is easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into heaven.”
So don’t use the Bible to defend “Christian’s” animus towards gay people. That’s total bullshit.
reason
@Sam:
The passage is referring to interfaith which is extremely clear: “for they will turn your sons away from following me to serve other gods.” I took the liberty to post the passage below, so people can see it for themselves and draw their own conclusions.
1 When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you- 2 and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. [a] Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy. 3 Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, 4 for they will turn your sons away from following me to serve other gods, and the LORD’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you. 5 This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles [b] and burn their idols in the fire. 6 For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.
jason
The difference between me and the KKK is that I believe in equal rights for blacks. But I’m not going to sit by and watch equal rights-demanding blacks turn around and tell me as a gay man that I’m not entitled to those same equal rights.
If that grates, so be it. I’m not here to be everyone’s buddy. I call a spade a spade, capish?
reason
Which goes back to the point why lots of people of faith will not marry someone of a different faith, and most people accept that as not a big deal.
To put it in more context if someone of the Christian faith was to marry you, you would have an influence on your kids if you choose to have some that God is not real; this would happen if you enunciated it or not because they are going to examine your lifestyle. That is unacceptable to many.
jason
Sam,
Well said. I get so irritated when some bigot tries to hide their homophobia by saying “oh, I’ve raised money for AIDS research”.
What on earth has AIDS research got to do with the concept of homosexuality? The concept of homosexuality is not targeted by AIDS.
Taylor Siluwé
@ No. 44 · Sam – If I may butt in a bit … PREACH!
@No. 45 · reason – I can certainly get a prohibition of mixed marriage from that passage. Easily.
But even stronger to me is the nonsensical use of ANY of these warmongering, murderous, laughably outdated texts justifying religious domination by any thinking modern human being.
Personally, I don’t care if it prohibits mixed marriage or not, ’cause its all bullshit.
fatbeard
What bible is she talking about? The one written by a king in another country 500 years ago?
Oh, that’s so American.
Tackle
@45,47 Reason:
Great points, and well stated.
Sam
To that person that wrote that you wouldn’t have tea with her, but also wrote that she is a role model for her viewpoint of not wanting to create laws banning gay marriage — how can you make those same points.
you won’t sit down with her for a cup of tea, but you think she is a role model? for whom? it’s not as if she has any power to write laws banning gay rights, but she does have the power to vote against gay marriage – she may have already, and one day she will have the power to raise children to have her already misguided and troubling viewpoint about gay marriage.
using religion to hide behind your stance against gay rights is pathetic. in my mind, you are either for gay rights or not. it’s simple for me.
That person was the other Sam # 34. I agree she isn’t he the worst, she’s no Fred Phelps, but she isn’t innocent. her perfect white teeth and smile isn’t fooling me, and i’m sad it’s fooling others here on queerty. just read btwn the lines. she’s spewing out hate in a nice way, somehow and getting away with it.
Bianca
@scott ny’er:
What’s QFT?
@reason: You’re right about that. The bible is full of stuff that’s called sinful or criminal and homosexuality isn’t that central a thing but religious zealots choose to concentrate on that mainly.
Read more: http://www.queerty.com/the-new-reigning-miss-america-believes-in-the-bible-not-gay-marriages-20100201/#ixzz0WsVnqUHp
Bianca
@Sam:
“Deuteronomy 7:1-6 prohibits interracial marriage”
No, it doesn’t. It prohibits interfaith marriages and also explains why – “7:4 For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods”.
Whatevs
I just saw this trick at DSW in Union Square about two days ago. She seemed fine canoodling with the gays then, and believe me, there were a lot there to get her autograph. What a fuckin lady douchebag!
dpbfeb
I don’t get. If she is saying that personally she doesn’t agree with Gay marriage but she doesn’t want a law baning it, what is the difference from people saying “I don’t hate Black people I’m just not attracted to them”?
Let’s face facts it’s not about winning friends it’s about stopping people who want to stop you. Per her statement, she doesn’t want to stop you. She’s just not in to you.
Bianca
@dpbfeb:
As I see it, it’s not about people “not being into you”.
It’s about all people having the same civil rights. That’s all.
dpbfeb
@Bianca: I agree. But you don’t have to like me to want me to have civil rights. That’s my point. She doesn’t have to like civil rights, just don’t vote against it.
Bianca
@dpbfeb:
Well, how nice of her! It’s so annoying that anyone thinks they have a right to deny or “give” anything to a minority when it’s not theirs to deny or “give” to begin with, you know?
dpbfeb
@Bianca: You’re right it’s not hers to give or take away. I’m just stating that she has a right to her views. Just like people choose not to date interracially or deal to with people of another race. I don’t agree with it but they have a right to their views. But she stated that even though she has her views she does not wish for the government to stop the rights for Gays to marry.
Bianca
@dpbfeb:
I totally understand what you’re saying. BTW, I don’t think dating interracially is the same, though. That would be a completely personal choice that has no impact on anyone and certainly not on whatever minority involved.
Yeah, she’s far from being the worst about gay rights but my point is that it’s people like her who think it’s for them “to give/deny”. Her “not standing in the way” is exactly the same (assuming that it’s for her or anyone like her to give or deny).
Pesonally, she can feel any way she wants about gay right and any other matter. We all have our feelings/opinions about things but when it comes to equal civil rights for all, it’s that attitude of “it’s in my power to give or deny” that’s the problem.
james
@jason:
You’re right, Black people are the most religious, yet blacks are responsible for the most crimes in the USA alone, including murder, rape, robbery, theft, and drug possession / dealing, and prostitution, not to mention that the highest number of HIV/AIDS carriers are blacks. When you see a crime being reported on the news, most of the time that criminal is either Black or Hispanic. I know not every black person is like this, and I’m not trying to be racist, I’m just stating the facts.
Bruzintuc
I hate it when Christianity is loudly proclaimed by the religious right. I’m Episcopalian. They wouldn’t know the REAL meaning of the bible (taken in context of the times)if it slapped them on their fat asses.
Taylor Siluwé
@ o. 63 · james
Your correct, James, you’re not “trying to be racist”. Like Jason (who you conveniently chimed in to agree with), you’ve perfected it already.
I’ve always wanted to ask a bona-fide seething racist like yourself how it works. Do you actually feel better about yourself when you belittle and generalize people you’ve never met? Does it make your dick bigger? Does it enhance your life in any productive way to trash talk an entire segment of humanity?
If so, have at it. Just remember – if all you do is manufacture poison, don’t be surprised when it kills you.