Beauty pageant directors mull future of Miss California's crown

The co-directors of the Miss California USA competition are expected to announce this week whether current Miss California Carrie Prejean can keep her crown after racy pictures of her emerged on the internet.

The co-directors will speak at a news conference today after days of discussions with representatives of Christian beauty queen Carrie Prejean.

Donald Trump, co-owner of the Miss Universe Origination, will hold his own news conference in New York on Tuesday to discuss the fate of this year’s Miss California title, which was awarded to Prejean of La Jolla but may go to the runner-up as a result of the photos scandal.

Miss California USA co-director Keith Lewis says their decision will depend first on Prejean and then on Trump.

Unless Prejean relinquishes the job on her own, Lewis told Fox News on Friday, "Trump ultimately makes the decision" to disqualify her or not.

Since the Miss USA competition, Prejean has been under intense public scrutiny – first over her stand for traditional marriage during the April 19 show and then over her highly publicised efforts to promote traditional marriage.

Through it all, family groups and Christians have rallied behind Prejean, applauding her for her honest and courageous response and for standing up for traditional family values.

Many have gone further in their support by offering her various public platforms, including the stage at Gospel Music Association's Dove Awards last month. She also featured in an advert promoting traditional marriage run by the National Organisation for Marriage and was offered a scholarship to attend Liberty University.

Some have even stood by Prejean as semi-nude photos of her leaked online.

“Of course Carrie is not perfect,” commented Maggie Gallagher, president of the National Organisation for Marriage. “On a personal note, as a former unwed mother, I want to say to Americans: you don’t have to be a perfect person to have the right to stand up for marriage.”

In the photos, taken when she was 17, a topless Prejean appears with her back toward the camera. The Southern California beauty queen said she had posed for them in hopes of landing a modelling job.

"I am a Christian, and I am a model. Models pose for pictures, including lingerie and swimwear photos,” she explained in a statement released Tuesday by her publicist.

"I am not perfect, and I will never claim to be. But these attacks on me and others who speak in defense of traditional marriage are intolerant and offensive," she added.

Not all of Prejean’s supporters, however, have elevated her to the level of esteem that others have and some have even criticised pro-family conservatives for heralding her on such large platforms simply because she said she believes marriage should be between a man and a woman while discounting the harm to family values from her risqué modelling work.

"[U]nless religious conservatives have some kind of answer to our girls about how they can lionise a Miss USA contestant and stress modesty at the same time, I do not see the virtue in giving her the platform," commented Dr Warren Throckmorton, associate professor of Psychology at Grove City College in Pennsylvania.

Ahead of the weekend, business magnate Trump said he is hoping that the decision regarding the Miss California crown will be a positive one.

"Most of these girls are models," Trump told Fox News. "They do things that are not necessarily a bad thing. And look, Carrie is a seriously good looking girl. Because of her looks, [they] are making such a big deal with this."

Prejean is currently a student at San Diego Christian College, where she is studying to become an elementary-level teacher. She is also a member of the Rock Church in San Diego.