Bachelorette star Katie Thurston issued an apology after facing criticism from LGBT fans over an Instagram post questioning her sexuality.
In the photograph, the 30-year-old television personality was seen getting a kiss on the neck from her friend Casandra Suarez.
The (now deleted) photograph was captioned “whatever floats your boat” where Suarez allegedly commented, “so did Katie actually end up with me, yes or no?”
The post got Thurston’s fans and members of the LGBT community wondering about her sexuality.
She clarified in the comments: “I did not intend for this picture to be a statement about my sexuality. This is simply a friendship post. I’ve never spoken publicly about my sexuality nor am I doing so with this picture.”
“Nothing but love for everyone,” she added.
However, many users started accusing Thurston of “queerbaiting” after which she deleted the entire post and issued an apology.
She wrote: “I’ve removed my most recent post after realizing how many people from the LGBTQ+ I hurt. I am so sorry. I’ve read the comments and better understand why my post was offensive. Will continue to learn from my mistakes. I want to always be an ally and today I’m sorry I let you down.”
