JoJo Siwa’s previous signature look.Photo: JC Olivera/Getty
JoJo Siwais opening up about the moment she knew she was gay — and how stars likeDemi LovatoandJenna Dewanhelped.
In a TikTok video titled “My Gay Awakening Story” Siwa, 19, rapped about her experience.
“One thing about me is that when I was 12,Demi Lovatocame out with a song called “Cool for the Summer,” " Siwa said of Lovato’s single from the 2015Confidentalbum.
TheDance Momsalum continued, “I really, really liked it and listened to it all time. I did not know what it meant back then but now that I’m older I know what it means.”
Todd Owyoung/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty
She then recalled that “a few years laterJenna Dewan went onLip Sync Battle. She did a really greatMagic Mikenumber I pretty much watched it every day,” adding of her younger self, “Little me, well, she didn’t know she was gay.”
The “awakening” came years after that when she was on her first date with a guy who “wanted to have sex with me.”
She kept the caption simple with, “Enjoy”
Siwa came out as LGBTQin January 2021 over a series of posts on TikTok and Instagram. When she lipsynchedLady Gaga’s “Born This Way” following a day with TikTok collectivePride House LA, fans wondered if she was revealing something about her sexuality. And with a very direct t-shirt — BEST GAY COUSIN EVER — she confirmed it.
RELATED VIDEO: JoJo Siwa Celebrates 1 Year Since Coming Out as LGBTQ: ‘I’ve Felt More Love Than Ever’
At first, Siwa didn’t want to put a “label” on her sexuality.
“I like queer,” she said at the time. “Technically I would say that I am pansexual because that’s how I have always been my whole life is just like, my human is my human.”
“I never wanted [my coming out] to be a big deal,” she added. But it was: Never before has someone with such a young fan base identified publicly as LGBTQ.
“I’ve known since I was little,” Siwa said. (“I did too,” her mom Jessalynn added. “A mother knows.") They both also knew it was a risk to tell the world. “I have a lot that could have gone away because of my love life,” Siwa said.
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While she faced criticism, new fansElton John,Meghan Trainor,Kerry Washingtonand more applauded her openness. “I’ve never gotten this much support from the world,” she said. “I think this is the first time that I’ve felt so personally happy.”
“Performing has always made me super happy,” she added. “But for the first time, personally, I am like, whoa, happiness. I am so proud to be me.”
source: people.com
