Miss USA on Gay Marriage

Neal Broverman

Neal Broverman is the Editorial Director, Print of Pride Media, publishers of The Advocate, Out, Out Traveler, and Plus, spending more than 20 years in journalism. He indulges his interest in transportation and urban planning with regular contributions to Los Angeles magazine, and his work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times and USA Today. He lives in the City of Angels with his husband, children, and their chiweenie.

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Neal Broverman

June 21 2011 5:50 PM EST

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America's new Miss USA, Alyssa Campanella, a former Miss California USA, couldn't be more different than Carrie Prejean, the anti-marriage equality Miss California USA from 2009.

Crowned Sunday in Las Vegas, the 21-year-old Campanella charmed audiences by admitting her love for British history and HBO's fantasy drama Game of Thrones. Bravo's Andy Cohen was cohost of the Miss USA pageant, and he filmed a segment of his talk show, Watch What Happens Live! immediately after the pageant. Campanella appeared on the show and was asked by Cohen about her support for marriage equality (watch below). To demonstrate her support for gay marriage, Campanella previously took part in photographer Adam Bouska's No H8 campaign (see above), which raises money for marriage equality.

Campanella is a big change from Prejean, who many say lost the Miss USA crown two years ago because she said didn't support same-sex marriage when asked by judge Perez Hilton. Prejean later became a short-lived spokeswoman for the antigay National Organization for Marriage before sex videos of her surfaced.