Jenna issues second apology in wake of racism and homophobia scandal
Twitch: JennaTwitch personality Jenna has issued another apology in the aftermath of offensive messages from her Discord being made public, saying that she “understands what [she] did was incredibly wrong.”
The streamer has been embroiled in controversy this week over racist and homophobic messages she sent in her Discord server were made public on Reddit.
Over 30 examples were shared, dating back from 2016 to as recently as December 2019. The thread, shared on /r/livestreamfail, peaked at over 30,000 upvotes and hit the website’s front page before being deleted.
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While she issued an initial apology on stream saying that she “doesn’t remember doing any of this,” she took some time away from the platform to reflect on her actions and prepared another one.
“I wanted to think about all my actions, the things I said, the things I did, to really look deep inside and ask myself if that’s the person I want to be,” she said. “I don’t ever think ignorance is a valid excuse which is why I want to educate myself about all of these issues very well.”
She said that she “hurt so many people with [her] words,” which included the use of the n-word, as well as homophobic, anti-semetic, ableist, and xenophobic slurs.
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“I wanted to apologize for the absolutely horrible and harmful behaviors I exhibited in my Discord, both recently and in the past,” she said. “I’m now aware how saying these kinds of words can affect people and I’m learning to reform the way I speak to and about others.”
She also acknowledged the story about forcibly kissing her friend, which led to allegations of sexual assault being leveled against the streamer. She mentioned that it was “irresponsible in reflecting on the story without giving the full context.”
“I want to be clear that I think all sexual assault is wrong and I don’t advocate for any acts that are pressured or forced or made uncomfortable for anyone even if the situation may seem innocent.”
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Jenna said that she was “blindsided” by the Reddit post, and wasn’t expecting it to blow up. “I know that this situation was brought up entirely out of nowhere, and to be honest it blindsided me because I didn’t understand the weight of my actions.”
The streamer mentioned that she is going to work on “changing” herself after “this life-changing experience.”
“I am truly grateful for this life-changing experience because it has caused me to open my eyes to the reality of my harmful words and behavior. I truly do care for people, and I genuinely am sorry if I ever hurt anyone with my words.
“I want people to simply exist in peace without feeling unaccepted, misunderstood, or that they aren’t loved. I hope that this change in myself and my community will help these goals be reached.”
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Jenna, who is a Twitch partner, has not faced repercussions from the company as of January 16.
While the messages were made off the platform, the community guidelines state that Twitch “may take action against users for hateful conduct or harassment that occurs off Twitch services” that’s targeted at other Twitch users.
She has not indicated when she will return to the platform.
