Singer and social media star JoJo Siwa has long been a celebrity icon for young kids, thanks to her big personality, oversized hair bows and upbeat pop songs. Siwa’s brand has always been about having fun and being true to yourself, and now she’s stepping up as a role model to kids in yet another way. Over the weekend, Siwa revealed to her millions of social media followers that she’s a proud member of the LGBTQ community.
Siwa came out by sharing a selfie on Twitter, in which she’s wearing a t-shirt that says “Best. Gay. Cousin. Ever.” She writes, “My cousin got me a new shirt.”
My cousin got me a new shirt pic.twitter.com/DuHhgRto7b
— JoJo Siwa!?❤️? (@itsjojosiwa) January 22, 2021
Siwa later confirmed her coming out in a video on Instagram Live. “I have never, ever, ever been this happy before,” she says.
JoJo Siwa speaks candidly about coming out in new Instagram Live:
"I have never, ever, ever been this happy before" pic.twitter.com/cCagSiR9xO
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) January 24, 2021
She also clarifies that while she is not straight, she isn’t ready to apply a specific label — like gay, lesbian, bisexual or other terms — to herself. “Somebody said, ‘What label are you?’ I have thought about this, and the reason why I’m not ready to say this answer is because I don’t really know this answer,” she explains. “I think humans are awesome.”
Siwa’s announcement has been met with a lot of love, support and praise from fans. Most notably, many parents and kids are thanking the star for being a positive role model to LGBTQ youth.
“I’m so happy for Jojo Siwa because I’m a big fan of hers,” says a 9-year-old TikTok star named Olivia who posts on the channel Team2Moms. “Even though I’m 9, I know what it means to come out. It means for someone to be themselves normally. It’s especially great to see this because I’m a kid being raised by two moms. I’m always going to be her fan, and I hope other people and parents are the same.”
Others are responding to Siwa’s coming out tweet to let her know how she’s inspired them.
“Jojo, I’m so proud of you because you came out,” one person writes. “I just came out yesterday, and you encouraged it, and I love you for that. Thanks for being so amazing and helpful.”
Jojo I’m so proud of you because you came out I just came out yesterday and you encouraged it and I love you for that thanks for being so amazing and helpful so everyone seeing this IM BISEXUAL ❤️❤️❤️❤️Love You JoJo
— Johnnie Fuller (@johnnie_meee) January 25, 2021
“Not only have you been an amazing positive role model to little girls for many years,” another person adds, “but now young LGBTQ+ kids can be inspired by you and see that they really can do ANYTHING! Thank you!”
@itsjojosiwa Congratulations!! Not only have you been an amazing positive role model to little girls for many years, now young LGBTQ+ kids can be inspired by you and see that they really can do ANYTHING! Thank you! ❤️?????
— DLBesson (@dlavender) January 23, 2021
Jojo Siwa is a major star, and the majority of her audience is young kids. She has over 12 million followers on YouTube, and she was named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2020. Her decision to come out to her fans is a big deal because it gives young people a proud and positive LGBTQ role model who is unashamed to be who she is.
By sharing her truth with the world, Siwa is using her enormous influence to affirm LGBTQ identities and to encourage love and respect for all people. That sets an amazing example for her young fans, whether they identify as a member of the LGBTQ community or not. As one person on Twitter explains, “She is inspiring children right now to be more accepting, and to be more accepting of themselves because they saw their idol do it.”
