The Intolerance of the Tolerant

Pictured above: gossip columnist,

Miss America judge and champion

of intolerance - Perez Hilton.

During the Miss America competition Carrie Prejean was asked by the following question by Perez Hilton, the gossip columnist:

"Vermont recently became the fourth state to legalize same-sex marriage. Do you think every state should follow suit? Why or why not?"

Carrie responded "I think it's great that Americans are able to choose one or the other. We live in a land that you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage and, you know what, in my country and my family I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anyone out there but that's how I was raised and that's how I think it should be between a man and a woman."

Ms. Prejean was met by the hostile boos, as well as a few claps of the audience. More importantly, many believe that her response may have cost her the crown via the loss of the votes of several judges. Later than day in his blog, Mr. Hilton presented a very hostile rant in which he referred to Ms. Prejean as a "stupid bitch."

While I am personally supportive of gay marriage, I am quite troubled by the intolerance of many people who claim to be the champions of tolerance and diversity. Someone who espouses the said values should be more accepting of the right of people to hold different beliefs and traditions. Respecting diversity should go beyond one dimensional ethnic fetishism and encompass a respect for intellectual diversity. Increasingly we see that close-mindedness and fundamentalism are not the sole prospects of religious Americans; even the champions of tolerance can be narrow-minded and intolerant.