*It seems the Caressa Cameron, 10 weeks into her reign as Miss America, is branding herself as a very poised, smart, candid and effervescent young woman who speaks her mind on controversial issues, reports Annie Groer for Politics Daily.com
For instance, during a meet and greet, Cameron, 22, answered all questions except one: How much money she thinks she’ll earn at paid appearances all over the world during her reign. “I’m not allowed to discuss it,” she says. But you can be assured it’s not exactly chump changer because the crown comes with an automatic $50,000 scholarship.
Cameron didn’t blink, however, when Groer asked if she thought some day there might be a lesbian Miss America, given that so many other barriers have fallen since the first pageant was held in 1921.
She didn’t hesitate to respond:
“I don’t think someone’s ethnicity, someone’s religious background, even their sexual orientation has anything to do with their ability to do the job, so I would say yes. It has no bearing on whether they can go to a children’s hospital and visit kids.”
Cameron was also confident that the judges — who this year included conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh — would be willing to make such an equal-opportunity choice.
“A lot of time we don’t give people enough credit for being open-minded. If you are a judge doing your job, you will choose someone regardless of her political views or sexual orientation. You would hope people’s prejudice would not play a role in picking someone for a job as wonderful as Miss America.”
