Trump's Defense of 'Miss California' Puts Obama on the Spot
Those who still follow the Carrie Prejean story wondered whether Donald Trump might utter his famous "Apprentice" catch-phrase during his press conference on May 12: "Carrie--you're fired!"
Indeed Trump, who owns the Miss USA contest, may well have fired Prejean, and to many it was starting to look as though Prejean's longevity in the role was shaky following the revelation that, despite having signed a contract stating she'd never been photographed "nude or partially nude," Prejean had indeed posed topless. Then there were the complaints from Prejean's employer, Miss California USA, that Prejean seems to have abandoned her duties as the title holder.
Sharon Moakler, Miss California USA co-executive director, noted that, "Carrie has been unavailable to us, to her sponsors and to her responsibilities as Miss California USA because of her commitment to outside organizations," noted People Magazine's online site on May 11.
Among those "outside orgnaizations" is the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), the folks behind the anti-gay ad that declared a "storm" was coming over GLBT equality issues and ran an ad featuring actors talking about court cases involving anti-discrimination laws and policies in various states and declaring that their freedoms as people of faith were at risk.
That ad drew widespread ridicule, but NOM put Prejean's sudden status as a "persecuted" Christian to good use by featuring her in a swiftly-produced TV ad purporting to "protect" heterosexual marriage from gay and lesbian families who want the same rights and recognition.
Trump, however, gave Prejean some good press and in doing so demonstrated his canny business and PR sense. In an Associated Press article that was picked up at EDGE on May 12, Trump excused Prejean's topless photo.
And, though Prejean was not in hot water with Trump or Miss California USA over the comment that brought her national attention and reminded people that, yes, the Miss USA contest still exists, Trump made sure to give her his backing on that front as well.
During the April 19 broadcast of the Miss USA pageant, openly gay celebrity blogger and pageant judge Perez Hilton asked Prejean whether she thought that marriage equality ought to be be extended to gay and lesbian families in all 50 states.
Prejean responded that, from her perspective as someone with a religious background, marriage ought to be restricted to heterosexual couples.
It was a question sure to provoke, and Prejean, who must have known she was stepping into a hornet's nest, displayed true personal courage in answering frankly.
Still, the issue might not have blown up into a cause celebre for the religious right had Hilton not then posted an ill-advised video blog in which he called the beauty queen a "dumb bitch."
Social and religious conservatives leapt to the occasion, holding up Hilton's comments as typical of all of gay and lesbian America and, for that matter, of everyone on the left.
In truth, Hilton's comments shocked, angered, and outraged people all across the religio-political spectrum. But the religious right ignored that fact, and swept Prejean up into their embrace--a warm welcome that some speculated might soon cool off, once a topless photo of Prejean came to light.
Trump, however, refrained from adding fuel to the Prejean-sparked fire by declining to fire her over the photo or for the seeming abandonment of her duties as Miss California.
In backing Prejean's right to express her own opinion, however, Trump sparked a fresh controversy. A person needs no rationale for offering his or her honest opinion, especially when asked, but Trump sought to justify Prejean's answer to Hilton by observing that President Obama, in his campaign, also expressed a lack of support for marriage equality.
Said Trump of Prejean's response to Hilton, "It's the same answer the president of the United States gave; it's the same answer many people gave."
Almost as an afterthought, Trump acknowledged that Prejean's response was rooted in her own personal convictions, saying, "She gave an honorable answer; she gave an answer from her heart."
As for that topless photo, "We are in the 21st century," Trump allowed.
"We have determined the pictures taken are fine."
Prejean also spoke at the press conference, but the media focus that followed was on Trump's comment regarding Obama--which, some seemed to believe, amounted to a throwing down of a gauntlet.
In recent weeks, GLBT leaders and the gay press have begun wondering whether the president truly intends to address matters of concern to GLBT Americans.
Indeed, postings online from the White House that had indicated a strong commitment to equality for gay and lesbian families (despite Obama's insistence that civil unions ought to be good enough for them, with marriage preserved as a special right for heteros only) were redacted to offer a watered-down version of GLBT support.
Among the changes was the striking of a reference to Obama wanting to see the repeal of the so-called "Defense of Marriage Act," a 1996 law passed under then-President Bill Clinton that ensures that same-sex families will receive no legal acknowledgment from the federal government.
Under DOMA, gay and lesbian families will not even be counted on the 2010 census.
Anti-gay religious Web site WorldNetDaily reported on that online changes with some glee, noting, " The White House has removed the president's goal to repeal the act," and posting before-and-after versions of the text.
The scrubbed version drops all reference to DOMA and says, "President Obama also continues to support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and believes that our anti-discrimination employment laws should be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity. He supports full civil unions and federal rights for LGBT couples and opposes a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage."
WorldNetDaily noted that the new text not only deleted references to the repeal of DOMA, and provided text that had appeared at Obama' Web site during his campaign, when he sought the Democratic party's nomination, running against Hillary Clinton.
That text read, "Unlike Senator Clinton, I support the complete repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)--a position I have held since before arriving in the U.S. Senate.
"While some say we should repeal only part of the law, I believe we should get rid of that statute altogether," the text continued.
"Federal law should not discriminate in any way against gay and lesbian couples, which is precisely what DOMA does."
The site went on to offer speculation that Obama's stance on GLBT equality may be shifting.
Others see Obama's modification of language and stance as less predictive of how and whether the president intends to pursue GLBT equality. Michael Musto, in his May 12 blog at the site for The Village Voice scorned such assumptions, writing, "...in one of my recent TV appearances, I even noted that (former New York mayor and prominent Republican Rudi) Giuliani and Prejean, in their [marriage for] 'opposite' [gender couples]-only stance, are aligning themselves 'with such arch conservatives as... Obama and Hillary'!"
Musto attributed Obama's shift in tone to political pragmatism, saying, "Truth be told, he seems to have stated his stance to soft-pedal his real views and get into office, and as the country shifts towards marriage, no doubt so will he."
As for Miss California, Musto wrote, "I honestly doubt that Prejean will make that leap."
John Araviosis, writing at America Blog, noted in an May 12 article that the ongoing Prejean saga had become "a story about Barack Obama and whether he's smart enough to avoid the coming buzz saw."
Wrote Araviosis, "The controversy isn't about Miss California being anti-gay. It's about her posing for nudie photos and lying about it, about her joining up as a spokesperson for [anti-gay Prop 8 supporting group the National Organization of Marriage] an organization just this side of a hate group, while shirking her official duties as Miss California, and about her being quite possibly the biggest sore loser in beauty queen history.
"But putting even all that aside," continued Araviosis, "is Trump now saying that no future pageant judge can vote against a contestant if she invokes God in her answer and the judge disagrees?
"Or that anyone who invokes a position that Barack Obama also holds will be forever exempt from criticism?"
Araviosis recalled that during the bruising battle over Proposition 8, the ballot initiative that put the rights of gay and lesbian families up for a popular vote, catching the GLBT community almost unaware when voters narrowly passed the measure and (possibly: the state Supreme Court has yet to decide) yanked marriage equality away from California's 18,000 same-sex wedded couples, anti-marriage crusaders had recruited Obama to their side by claiming that his stated lack of support for marriage equality meant that Obama was in favor of amending the state's constitution.
Obama stated that this was not, in fact, true.
Since then, Araviosis added, claims that even Obama is opposed to marriage equality have proliferated among the anti-gay right.
Trump's reference to the president has only added to a sense that "we've come to the point where Obama can no longer duck the question," Araviosis wrote.
"Gay civil rights are roaring ahead like a runaway freedom train, and it's only a matter of time before the Obama administration, whether they like it or not--and it increasingly looks like 'not'--are going to have to start answering some questions, if not actually do something, about their commitment to gay civil rights," added Araviosis.
Obama has spoken often about bridging gaps and bringing together a fractured America, but his efforts to reach out to the religious right have been viewed by some as alarming.
Araviosis sketched out in a quick thumbnail some of the developments that have raised the GLBT community's concern and ire.
"From Obama's embrace of anti-gay activist Donny McClurkin, to his choice of anti-gay bigot Rick Warren to give the inauguration invocation, to the bizarre disappearance of most of the gay civil rights promises to the White House Web site, to the continual backtracking on the President's commitment to repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell, to the upcoming firing of more gay service members, to the fact that the White House Web site still has not restored the President's public commitment to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, to the White House's obvious reticence to choose an openly gay person for Obama's cabinet, the list goes on and on," Araviosis wrote.
"And gay Americans continue to go from hopeful to skeptical to bitter. The goodwill, along with Elvis, long ago left the building.
"What could have been a disagreement with a friend is quickly heading towards a major, damaging showdown."
Araviosis said that his own belief is that Obama is not against marriage equality, but that in his attempt to balance between extremes "Obama is quickly approaching the ass-biting phase of the gay rights debate" when political pragmatism could finally provoke a loud and angry push-back.