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JoJo Siwa is about to make history on the upcoming season of “Dancing with the Stars” as the first contestant in 30 seasons to dance with a person of the same sex.
The Instagram account for the popular ABC dance competition series shared video of the 18-year-old reality TV personality gushing about the news.
“I am so excited to be a part of this year’s ‘Dancing with the Stars’ season 30 and I am gonna be dancing with a girl,” she said. “I think it’s so cool. My puppy Buddy, are you so excited, boy? Yes, he is. He’s so pumped up. It’s gonna be the best ever. I can’t wait to just dance every single week. I can’t wait to meet my partner. Oh my gosh, there’s so many things I am so excited for.”
While a same-sex couple will be a first for the American iteration of the show, other international versions have already done this in the past. In 2010, Israel was the first country to feature a same-sex couple, followed by numerous other countries like Italy and Australia. In 2019, a male duo not only competed in Denmark, but also won.
Back in the U.S., model Nyle DiMarco, who identifies as sexually fluid, and actor Jodie Sweetin briefly danced with pros of the same sex in 2016 — making it the first same-sex dance routine to ever be featured on the American version of the show.
With her resume, Siwa promises to be stiff competition for the other celebs on her milestone season, which will be completely announced on Sept. 8. She first rose to prominence on season two of “Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition,” before appearing on two seasons of “Dance Moms” with her mom, Jessalynn Siwa.
Earlier this year, Siwa came out as part of the LGBTQ community while also announcing she was in a relationship with a girl, Kylie Prew. In a recent interview with TODAY promoting her new Paramount+ film “The J Team,” Siwa said she was still figuring out how exactly she identifies, but that she feels comfortable with the labels “gay,” “queer” and “pansexual.”
In a statement, LGBTQ advocacy organization GLAAD celebrated Siwa and her casting on the dance show.
“At 18, JoJo Siwa is once again using her platform to inspire and uplift the LGBTQ community. As one of today’s most watched and celebrated programs on television, ‘Dancing with the Stars’ and Tyra Banks are making the right decision to feature JoJo Siwa competing alongside a female professional dancer,” Anthony Allen Ramos, GLAAD’s Head of Talent said. “The show has such a wide, far-reaching audience and there is a real opportunity here for people to celebrate the same-sex pairing and root for JoJo and all LGBTQ young people.”
Also part of the upcoming season will be gymnast Suni Lee, fresh off her gold medal-winning performance at the Tokyo Olympics. “See you on the dance floor,” the 18-year-old athlete said in a video also shared to the “DWTS” Instagram account.
Hosted by Tyra Banks, the season premiere of “Dancing with the Stars” is Monday, Sept. 20 at 8:00 p.m. EST. That is when the celebs will find out who they’re paired with, according to a news release.
This story was originally published on Today.com.
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Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
