JoJo Siwa Makes History as First Dancing With The Stars Contestant to be Paired with Partner of Same Gender
JoJo Siwa quickly emerged as a queer icon after coming out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community in January of this past year. The Dance Moms alumni and YouTube star’s fan base has grown tremendously in recent years, and she regularly sold out international arenas before the pandemic prompted a global shutdown. While JoJo hoped that coming out wouldn’t be a big deal, no one with a fan base as young as hers has ever come out publicly before. Her decision sparked some backlash from parents, who declared that they would never let their children wear JoJo’s merchandise again. This harsh reaction was a lot for the star to handle, but she has since admitted to People Magazine that she doesn’t want people to support her if they aren’t going to also support the LGBTQ+ community. Siwa’s coming out is significant as the unwavering pride she has in her sexual identity works to foster a sense of community amongst young people who identify as LGBTQ+.
Most recently, JoJo Siwa has announced that she will be a part of the first same-sex pairing on this season of Dancing With The Stars (DWTS). While DWTS has included numerous LGBTQ+ contestants in the past, all of these contestants have been paired with a dancing partner of the opposite sex. Both JoJo and her dancing partner, Jenna Johnson, have expressed enthusiasm for the opportunity DWTS has given them to break barriers and expand acceptance for the LGBTQ+ community. Their partnership is representative of a monumental moment for LGBTQ+ people everywhere as it displays a growing recognition for the queer community in the entertainment industry. While the endorsement of LGBTQ+ individuals has been on the rise in recent years, there are still biases and boundaries that work to restrict the queer community in the entertainment industry and society more broadly. As an openly LGBTQ+ star with an incredibly young fanbase, JoJo is already challenging these limitations. Her role in DWTS is simply another avenue for JoJo to reinforce widespread support for the LGBTQ+ community.
When the 30th season of DWTS premiered on Monday, September 20th, JoJo and Jenna received the highest scores of the night. The pairing’s first dance feature was an upbeat quickstep to “Are You Gonna Be My Girl” by Jet, which earned them 29 out of 40 points. This past Monday, JoJo and Jenna were awarded the second-highest score of the night for their cha-cha to Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande’s “Rain On Me”, which earned them a total of 31 out of 40 possible points. The J-Team’s (as they have recently dubbed themselves) remarkable success so far has been attributed to the fact that both JoJo and Jenna have had considerable experience with professional dancing in the past. While this may be true, it is worth noting that JoJo has never had experience with ballroom dancing before, making DWTS a significant challenge for the young star. Additionally, neither Jenna nor JoJo have experience doing ballroom partner dancing with a member of the same sex. There are many technical issues that must be worked out, such as who should lead and how to perform the lifts traditionally done by men.
Regardless of these difficulties, JoJo and Jenna have already proven themselves to be a powerful pairing in the competition. There is no doubt that they will continue to impress as the season progresses, while simultaneously inspiring innumerable members of the LGBTQ+ community along the way.