During the Las Vegas pageant, Perez Hilton, an openly gay gossip blogger, asked Prejean whether every state should follow Vermont's recent move to legalise same-sex marriage.
"Well, I think it’s great that Americans are able to choose one or the other," responded Prejean. "We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage.
"And you know what, in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman," she continued. "No offense to anybody out there, but that’s how I was raised and that’s how I think it should be between a man and a woman. Thank you very much."
On Monday, Prejean spoke about the gay marriage question to entertainment host Billy Bush, co-host of the NBC ceremony.
"It did cost me my crown," Carrie told Bush on his radio talk show. "I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I said what I feel. I stated an opinion that was true to myself and that’s all I can do.
"It is a very touchy subject and he is a homosexual and I see where he was coming from and I see the audience would’ve wanted me to be more politically correct," she added. "But I was raised in a way that you can never compromise your beliefs and your opinions for anything."
She told Fox News: "By having to answer that (Hilton) question in front of a national audience, God was testing my character and faith. I'm glad I stayed true to myself."
Prejean was placed second in the pageant to Miss North Carolina Kristen Dalton who was crowned Miss USA 2009 during the live NBC telecast of the show.
Still, Miss California says she feels like she won.
