By Peter J. Smith

LOS ANGELES, June 15, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The newly appointed Miss California has revealed that she believes, along with her recently deposed predecessor, Carrie Prejean, that marriage is an institution between a man and a woman. However the new Miss California has also stated she has no wish to become the center of controversy and opprobrium that has been heaped on Prejean for her position on same-sex “marriage.”

Tami Farrell, who now wears the tiara formerly held by Prejean, told FOX News’s Neil Cavuto last Thursday that marriage is the union of a man and a woman.

However, Farrell was quick to add, “I don’t think that I have the right or anybody has a right to tell somebody who they can or can’t love. And I think that this is a civil rights issue. And I think that the right thing to do is let the voters decide.”

When Cavuto first asked Farrell her opinion on same-sex “marriage,” Farrell responded, saying, “You know, I think it’s hilarious right now that the world is turning to beauty queens for the answers for this. I think it’s an important issue and I think that it’s one that I don’t think I can win a battle. I don’t want to be any more divisive than it’s already become.”

Farrell had been given the Miss California crown after Miss Califronia USA pageant officials had unceremoniously stripped it from Prejean. According to reports no one from the pageant telephone Prejean to let her know of their decision. Instead Prejean and her lawyer had discovered of the decision through the media.

Miss California USA Executive Director Keith Lewis admitted he did not inform Prejean of her dismissal, which had been approved by Donald Trump.

Although Lewis denied that Prejean’s position on same-sex “marriage” had anything to do with her firing, Lewis had from the outset of the controversy stated he was “personally saddened and hurt that Miss CA USA 2009 believes marriage rights belong only to a man and a woman.”

Prejean had become embroiled in a controversy after answering a question from Miss America pageant judge and homosexual, Perez Hilton, about her stance on same-sex “marriage.” Prejean’s answer that she believed marriage should be “between a man and a woman” appeared to have cost her the Miss USA crown, and she finished in second place.

Hilton later lambasted Prejean for her answer on his blog, deriding Prejean as “a dumb b**ch” for giving what he called, “the worst answer in pageant history.”

“If that girl would have won Miss USA, California, I would have gone up on stage, I sh*t you not, … snatched that tiara off her head, and run out the door,” said Hilton.

In the following weeks, Prejean became the subject of a smear-campaign in which racy photographs of a modeling shoot taken in Prejean’s teenage years were posted on celebrity gossip sites, and unsubstantiated rumors circulated in the media that Prejean’s mother had engaged in a lesbian relationship.

“I hope Americans watching this story unfold, take away the most important lesson I have learned through all of this: nothing is more important than standing up for what you believe in, no matter what the cost may be,” stated Prejean, according to the Big Hollywood blog.

“Hollywood will dance its tribal war dance over her body – the hatred generated against her has been extraordinary – but Carrie will be free to define her own mission and message from now on,” said Maggie Gallagher, president of the National Organization for Marriage, in a press release. NOM has thrown its support behind Prejean in a new website called StandWithCarrie.com to gather petitions in support of Prejean and true marriage.

Prejean has stated her intention to continue to advocate for traditional marriage with NOM. The group has featured Prejean and her answer to Hilton in an ad called“No Offense,” (see coverage here) which advances the argument that Prejean’s treatment offers a shade of things to come if homosexualist activists succeed in eradicating true marriage.

See related coverage by LifeSiteNews.com:

Prominent Gay British Politician Jokes about Killing Miss California for Her Opposition to Same-Sex “Marriage”

Miss California Features in New Pro-Marriage Ad

Miss California Sparks Controversy for Supporting True Marriage, Called “Dumb B*tch” by Homosexual Judge