Perez Hilton was one of the judges of the Miss USA pageant, held on Sunday at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. During question time, Perez asked Miss California, 21 year old Carrie Prejean, about same-sex marriage. Perez says that her answer was “the worst answer in pageant history”, evoking boos from the audience.

Perez asked, “Vermont recently became the fourth state to legalise same-sex marriage. Do you think every state should follow suit? Why or why not?”

“Well I think it’s great that Americans are able to choose one way or the other,” answered Miss California. “We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage. You know what, in my country, in my family, I do believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman, no offence to anybody out there. But that’s how I was raised and I believe that it should be between a man and a woman. Thankyou.”

California is currently still locked in legal action over whether same-sex marriage will be legalised again.

Miss California came first runner up. On a video blog on his website Perez said, “She lost not because she doesn’t believe in gay marriage, she lost because she’s a dumb bitch!”

Perez also said that she could have answered the question in a more diplomatic way, along the lines of “Perez, that’s a great question and that’s a very hot topic in our country right now. I think it’s a question that each state should answer for themselves because that’s our forefathers designed our government. The states rule themselves and then there are certain laws that are federal.”

The winner of Miss USA was Miss North Carolina Kristen Dalton.

During a radio interview on Monday Prejean defended her answer, but said that it did cost her her crown.

“I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I stated an opinion that was true to myself, and that’s all I can do. It did cost me my crown. It is a very touchy subject and [Perez] 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. But I was raised in a way that you can never compromise your beliefs and your opinions for anything.”

Prejean says that she feels like she won. “I feel like I’m the winner. I really do.”

Here’s footage of Miss California’s answer:

And here’s a video of Miss California telling (or perhaps being) a joke: