Miss California, Carrie Prejean, stood up for her belief that marriage should be between one man and one woman, and it probably cost her the title of Miss USA.
Regardless of your opinion on this issue, you have to admire Prejean for staying true to her beliefs, particularly as someone running for Miss USA, and particularly for someone who lives in California, where this issue is particularly hot-button right now.
It's important to have faith and values, and even more important to be strong enough to stand up for what you believe in when you get pressure from the opposite side. There are many people who, in the privacy of their homes, among the support of their church families, or behind the veil of the Internet, claim to feel a certain way about issues. They stick to their guns in the safety of their bubbles. But when approached by someone who feels differently, or when engaged in a debate, they often falter, or diminish their beliefs to avoid being persecuted, or to protect their own feelings.
Perhaps they fear that if their true beliefs are challenged, their hearts and minds will be changed. I think that's a shame. Any time my beliefs have been challenged (and they have been!), I've come out on the other side of it with even stronger convictions. If you're that afraid of being challenged, maybe your values aren't as strong as you thought.
(If you're interested in seeing Prejean's answer to the question of same-sex marriage, it's here.)
