from the pageant, that's the end of Perez Hilton's judging career.)" Liberal columnist Matt Littman wrote in The Huffington Post that Prejean's beliefs are the same as President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He criticized the negative response to Prejean, stating that "Miss California will end up walking away from this with her head held high. Will the people who picked on her be able to say the same?" Gavin Newsom, mayor of San Francisco, defended Prejean's statement even though he disagrees with her position: "I want to challenge her on her point of view, but she spoke her conscience; I think she's being a little unfairly maligned". On April 24, Fox News correspondent Bret Baier pointed out on the program, Special Report with Bret Baier, that Prejean's statements were very similar to President Barack Obama's previous statements regarding gay marriage, replaying a speech in which Obama said marriage should only be "between a man and a woman". Television personality Elisabeth Hasselbeck defended Prejean, saying that if the beauty queen was pro-gay marriage she would not be the source of relentless rumors and media coverage. After the controversy, MSNBC commentator David Shuster remarked that, in his opinion, the type of people who participate in beauty pageants don't have anything to say worth listening to. And on June 15, 2009, the Empowering Spirits Foundation, a national LGBT civil rights organization issued a press release asking for the LGBT community to "move forward and engage in respectful dialogue." A. Latham Staples, the foundation's executive director, was quoted as saying, "Demeaning Carrie Prejean or others by using terms such as bigot will not advance our cause of civil rights and social justice. The LGBT community must use this period of heightened attention on LGBT issues by engaging others in positive ways." Staples went on to wish Prejean "much success in her future endeavors." Aftermath Prejean said she believes that God used Hilton's question to test her character. On The Sean Hannity Show she stated: By having to answer that question in front of a national audience, God was testing my character and faith. I'm glad I stayed true to myself. It was not about being politically correct; for me, it was about being biblically correct. I am so proud of myself and I have so many people that are so proud of me. And [winning] wasn't what God wanted for