A salacious photo of Carrie Prejean has been circulating, and it has Miss California claiming religious persecution. Rumor has it there are more revealing pics of the beauty queen about to surface. The following is from a statement from Prejean released in response to the photo scandal:

I am a Christian, and I am a model. Models pose for pictures, including lingerie and swimwear photos. Recently, photos taken of me as a teenager have been released surreptitiously to a tabloid Web site that openly mocks me for my Christian faith. I am not perfect, and I will never claim to be. But these attacks on me and others who speak in defense of traditional marriage are intolerant and offensive.

It is possible Miss California may soon be dethroned, but it's not Prejean's faith or her homophobia that has endangered her crown. According to NBC, Prejean's contract with the Miss USA pageant prohibits her from being photographed "in a state of partial or total nudity."