A beauty queen hopeful vying to become Miss California is making headlines for her hatred of gays, and has the city of Beverly Hills is crying foul over her false representation of the city.
According to AP:
Beverly Hills Mayor Nancy Krasne said Wednesday she is outraged over a Miss California USA contestant who is claiming to represent the city in the upcoming pageant and who spoke out against same-sex marriage in recent media interviews.
Krasne said in a statement that 23-year-old Lauren Ashley does not live in Beverly Hills or represent the city in any capacity. Krasne said she was shocked to see statements made by a beauty pageant contestant under the name of Beverly Hills, “which has a long history of tolerance and respect.”
The issue became a sore point for city officials after Ashley was quoted extensively as saying same-sex marriage goes against God and the Bible.
Ashley recently told Fox News and other outlets that “in Leviticus it says, ‘If man lies with mankind as he would lie with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death and their blood shall be upon them.’ The Bible is pretty black and white.”
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In a statement Wednesday, the city said it was “shocked” by Ashley’s description of herself as “Miss Beverly Hills.”
The city “does not sponsor a beauty pageant and has no association with Miss California USA,” the statement said. “As such, there should be no individual claiming the title of Miss Beverly Hills.”
In fact, there is no proof that Lauren Ashley ever lived in Beverly Hills. There is no listing for her in the city and she had provided no documentation showing she currently resides in the area. According to Beverly Hills officials, Ashley lives in Pasadena.
Representatives at the Miss California USA pageant told TMZ that contestants are allowed to choose which area they represent — and as long as they add the letters “USA” to the end of the title, it doesn’t have to be approved by the city.
