BLEEUGHHH why, WHY, WHY are you people forcing me to defend the nation’s newest postergirl for homophobia? Carrie Prejean, the pageant queen who gave us “opposite marriage,” is now being investigated by the Miss California USA organization for allegedly posing for topless photos, possibly as a teenager. According to the Associated Press:

Pageant spokesman Roger Neal said Tuesday it appears the 21-year-old Prejean has run afoul of several sections of the 12-page contract that prospective contestants were required to sign before competing in the state contest.

The contract contains a clause asking participants whether they have conducted themselves “in accordance with the highest ethical and moral standards” and if they’ve ever been photographed nude or partially nude.

Ah yes, because the “highest ethical and moral standards” are crystal clear in an organization which PROMOTES LADIES WALKING AROUND IN SWIMSUITS THAT SHOW OFF THE FAKE BOOBS IT BANKROLLS.

The distance that Miss California USA is attempting to place between its own sexism and Prejean’s homophobia doesn’t just call attention to its hypocrisy—-it also reveals its deep ignorance of the marriage issue.

Really, supporting gay marriage means embracing marriage equality in all unions, and extending marriage rights to same-sex couples is a tacit rejection of marriage as a sexist institution. Giving two men or two women the right to marry means dismantling the idea that stable marriages are achieved only by embracing traditional roles—-one person (the man) is the strong, rational worker, while the other (the woman) is the submissive, emotional caregiver. Gay marriage is, indeed, a threat to traditional “opposite marriage”—-and it’s as much about fighting sexism as it is homophobia.