Your Hill To Die On

I don't normally go in for this "People Magazine" stuff, but the Miss California-Perez Hilton spat over gay marriage counts as local news since it involves California's reigning Beauty Queen: Hilton, Miss California take Sides On "Today"

Miss California says she stands by her anti-gay-marriage comments, even if
they may have cost her the Miss USA Crown.

I don't take back what I said," she told Lauer, adding that she "had spoken
from my heart, from my beliefs and for my God."

"It's not about being politically correct," she said. "For me, it's about
being biblically correct."

Agree with her or not, I think you have to give her credit for planting her feet and stating what she believes, an embarassingly rare thing these days. Hilton, meanwhile, was not taking this lying down:

Hilton, who also appeared on the "Today" show Tuesday, said his question was
relevant and that Prejean should have "left her politics and her religion out
because Miss USA represents all Americans."

That simply makes no sense. "All Americans" don't agree with Hilton's position on gay marriage. In fact, a majority has rejected gay marriage in most states where it has been put to a vote. What he is really saying is she should just shut up and smile. Wouldn't that have once been considered sexist and chauvanist?

Gay marriage does seem to have the support of the courts, but I would challenge Hilton to read, say, the California Supreme Court's decision establishing gay marriage as a fundamental right and explain the Court's reasoning. He can't, of course. He would rather make snotty comments about "hate." That's much more easy to understand. But, if gay marriage's most public proponents are going to be Gavin "gay marriage is coming whether you like it or not" Newsom and the personally and philosophically ugly Perez, then gay marriage still has a long way to go before it has culture and political acceptance to go along with its legal acceptance.