According to TMZ, Carrie Prejean’s parents had quite the nasty divorce, even as nasty divorces go. They recently got a hold of their divorce documents, which began in 1988. The legal documents go on until at least 2000 – over a dozen years of lawyers and anger and feuding. Apparently both of her parents brought up “gay” issues repeatedly in their divorce, using homosexuality both as an accusation against each other and as a derogatory way to speak about each other to their children. TMZ seems to think this is where Carrie’s issues with homosexuality may stem from, and it doesn’t seem impossible, given the nasty nature of what’s reported.

So how does a beauty queen turn into the poster child against gay marriage? In the case of Miss California Carrie Prejean, the answer may lie in an ugly divorce that may have cemented her views on gay relationships.

Carrie’s parents filed for divorce in 1988 and the divorce and custody fights went on for more than a decade — it was a divorce filled with homosexual allegations hurled by both sides.

In one of the docs, Carrie’s dad describes a confrontation he had with her mom in 1996, in which he recounts an argument in a restaurant parking lot, where “Ms. Prejean accused me, in front of our daughter, of homosexuality.”

The papers also quote a court-appointed doctor who said “The mother questioned [within hearing of the girls] whether [her father] was a homosexual or had a homosexual roommate.”

Carrie’s mom says the “gay” allegations went both ways. In court papers dated May 16, 2000, a report from the court-appointed counselor says “The mother also alleges the father told the girls their stepfather was gay, that all men with mustaches are gay.” The father’s response: “The father acknowledges talking with the girls about the stepfather’s brother being gay, not the stepfather.”

Also in the docs — a handwritten letter from Carrie’s older sister, in which she recounts a weekend stay with her dad: “One time my sister & I went in the hallway of my dad’s apartment, & his roommate’s door was open all the way & we saw [the roommate] in bed with another man. I don’t think it’s right for my sister & I to have to live that way.”

So does Carrie believe gays broke up her parents’ marriage? We called her rep … no comment so far. We could not reach Carrie’s dad for comment.

For the record, there are other allegations — absolutely hideous — in the divorce and custody papers — which we have elected not to publish.

[From TMZ]

I can’t even imagine what sort of allegations those must be for TMZ (not exactly known for their tact) to label them so “hideous” they’ve chosen not to publish it. I’m not necessarily empathizing with Carrie… but damn. My parents had a long and nasty divorce that profoundly affected me, and it doesn’t sound half as bad as what Carrie’s parents had going on. It sounds like both of them were doing their very best to use their children to hurt the other parent. And clearly there was an over-arching theme that homosexuality is so bad it can be used to legally disparage someone.

The letter from Carrie’s sister sounds like it was probably instigated by their mother. Who also was the one who accused their father of being homosexual. The dad then supposedly called the girls’ stepfather gay, though he claimed he was just talking about the stepfather’s brother. Either way, homosexuality was used as a torrid accusation instead of something that was taught as a non-issue. It sounds like defaming people by calling them gay was something Carrie grew up with. It doesn’t excuse things, but could very well explain them.

Photos via Gaslampball