CNN Reporter Apologizes For Gay Slur Used In 2011 Tweet

Kaitlan Collins (image via Twitter)

Kaitlan Collins, CNN’s White House correspondent, has come under fire after homophobic tweets from her college days have come to light.

The Log Cabin Republicans, a conservative LGBTQ political group, found two tweets by Collins from 2011 when she attended the University of Alabama. In the tweets she uses the word “fag” as a putdown and in another expresses discomfort about rooming with a lesbian.

Past tweets reveal @CNN reporter @kaitlancollins called people “fag” and was uncomfortable around lesbians.

cc: @CNNPR @mdornic @SamFeistCNN @DavidChalian pic.twitter.com/psicXjeHJR

— LogCabinRepublicans (@LogCabinGOP) October 7, 2018

Within an hour of the Log Cabin tweet, Collins apologized via Twitter, saying she used “ignorant language” that was “immature.” She added that the tweets don’t “represent the way I feel at all.”

She closed with an unqualified, “I regret it and I apologize.”

When I was in college, I used ignorant language in a few tweets to my friends. It was immature but it doesn’t represent the way I feel at all. I regret it and apologize.

— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) October 7, 2018

The apology tweet received over 7,000 ‘likes’ but even more comments. Most of the replies were from far-right leaning Twitter users who used the occasion to bash Collins in an attempt to equate her two tweets in college with allegations of sexual misconduct raised against newly-confirmed Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

So what you're saying is, we shouldn't judge someone (no pun intended) by the way they acted in college? Or, say, high school?

— Jeff Crenshaw (@JeffCren) October 8, 2018

You spent all last week destroying a mans life, his children’s lives, and his wife’s life over rumored actions of his from high school 38 years ago

Now your sorry and everyone should accept your apology for racial and gay slurs you made mere years ago.

Karma at its finest.

— Darwin Darling (@MrDarwinDarling) October 8, 2018

The Log Cabin Republicans made a point of tagging CNN Vice President of Communications and Digital Partnerships Matt Dornic in their tweet.

Dornic, who is openly gay, responded with support for his colleague saying while he’s “disappointed she ever used the word,” he accepts her apology and says “with certainty” those tweets don’t reflect her feelings about the LGBTQ community.

I’m a proud gay man. And I am a proud friend of @kaitlancollins. Tho I’m disappointed that she ever used the word (even as an immature college kid), I can say with certainty it doesn’t reflect her feelings toward the LGBTQ community. She’s apologized and I accept that.

— Matt Dornic (@mdornic) October 7, 2018

Collins has worked at CNN since 2017. Prior to that she was a contributor for the conservative political website, The Daily Caller, founded by Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

Earlier this year Donald Trump banned Collins from a press event after she asked repeated questions regarding his former lawyer, Michael Cohen.

Cohen has since pleaded guilty to eight counts of campaign finance violations, tax fraud, and bank fraud.

What do you think, readers? Is there a double-standard in play here?

Or, is there a difference between a college student using a slur in a tweet versus allegations of sexual misconduct?

Also, Collins immediately apologized without any qualifiers, i.e. “if anyone was offended…” Does that make a difference?

Do we accept apologies anymore?

And, with social media posts becoming the new 'skeletons' in our closets, do you think there's anything in your Twitter/Facebook past that could come back to haunt you?

Share your thoughts in the comment section below.