Miss California Prejean may be stripped of her crown

Washington (ANI): The directors of the Miss California USA pageant might snatch the title from this year"s winner Carrie Prejean for violating her contract by supporting anti-gay marriage group, and posing semi-nude as a teenager. Pageant spokesman Roger Neal said that pageant directors Keith Lewis and Shanna Moakler had had closed-door meetings to discuss the issue.

Neal claimed that Prejean had violated many clauses of the 12-page contract, which had to be signed by all prospective contestants before competing in the November state contest. The detailed document provides pageant officials nearly unlimited control of the titleholder''s activities.

The contract prohibits Miss California from making personal appearances, giving interviews or making commercials without permission from pageant officials. But, in the last two weeks, 21-year-old Prejean has made televised appearances at her local church in San Diego and on behalf of the National Organization for Marriage, a group opposed to same-sex marriage.

The contract also has a clause, which asks participants to acknowledge whether they have conducted themselves "in accordance with the highest ethical and moral standards." It even asks participants whether they have ever been photographed nude or partially nude.

And, on May 4, the racy photos in which Prejean wore nothing but pink underwear covering her breast with her back turned were leaked on the Internet. "As you can see from the contract, she violated multiple items," Us magazine quoted Neal as saying in a statement.

Prejean insisted that the pics were just modelling shots, and were taken when she was only 17 years old—a minor. "I am a Christian, and I am a model. Models pose for pictures, including lingerie and swimwear photos," she said in a statement.

She also said that the picture"s release was an attempt to humiliate her because of her religious faith and conservative views. "My comments defending traditional marriage have led to intimidation tactics that seek to undermine my reputation and somehow silence me and my beliefs, as if opinion is only a one-way street," said Prejean.