Katie receives backlash after she posts the since-deleted Instagram picture of her kissing Casandra Suarez, who competed in Matt James' season of 'The Bachelor' alongside the new Bachelorette.
- May 13, 2021
AceShowbiz - "The Bachelorette" star Katie Thurston has reacted to backlash over a picture of herself kissing another woman. Taking to her Instagram account, the 30-year-old Washington native expressed her remorse over the picture that offended the LGBTQ+ community.
"To my followers: I've removed my most recent post after realizing how many people from the LGBTQ+ [community] I hurt," so she wrote on May 11. "I am so sorry. I've read the comments and better understand why my post was offensive. I will continue to learn from my mistakes. I want to always be an ally and today I'm sorry I let you down."
Katie received backlash after she posted the since-deleted Instagram snap of her kissing Casandra Suarez. Casandra was among contestansts who competed alongside Katie in Matt James' season of "The Bachelor". The picture had a neon sign that read, "GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS," in the background.
The post didn't sit well with some of her followers as she was accused of "queer baiting." Before deleting the entire post, Katie clarified, "I did not intend for this picture to be a statement about my sexuality. This is simply a friendship post." She went on to say, "I've never spoken publicly about my sexuality nor am I doing so with this picture. Nothing but love for everyone."
"The Bachelorette" announced Katie and Michelle Young as the new Bachelorettes in the "After the Final Rose" special of Matt James' season of "The Bachelor" back in March. "We're the Bachelorettes," Michelle and Katie announced together. "I was a little nervous, but once I found out that it was two different seasons, I was here for it. I'm excited that I get to have somebody to bond over with this and share notes as we go," Michelle, a 27-year-old teacher from Edina, explained on "After the Final Rose" which was hosted by Emmanuel Acho on Monday, March 15.
She added, "I really do think that this process works. When you can set down all these outside distractions and really dive in, I think you can learn a lot about somebody. I'm just excited. I'm ready to get started." As for Katie, the 29-year-old bank manager from Renton chimed in, "I'm ready to find love, and not just the temporary kind... I've seen it work before, why can't it work for me?"
