Entertainment star JoJo Siwa celebrated one year since coming out sweetly and sentimentally.
The 18-year-old performer shared an Instagram post on Sunday, with photos and videos of herself, living in her truth since her coming out. The post has received over 500,000 likes and almost 4,000 comments. Siwa explains how coming out is scary, even though she has felt more love than ever.
"In the last 365 days, I've felt more love than ever," Siwa expressed. "A year ago today, I posted this picture and shared with the world that I was gay. I get asked a lot, 'Was coming out scary for you?'… and the answer is yes, of course, anything that's different about you is scary, however… it's what makes me… me."
Siwa concludes the post by thanking her fans for showing her love over the years and explaining how she feels like a role model for kids.
"So I had no fear with sharing it with the world. I also get asked a lot, 'Your demographic is so young. Are you worried about telling kids your gay?'…. Truthfully I feel like I was put on this earth to be a role model for kids," Siwa said. "And letting all the kids of the world know that loving everyone for who they are no matter what is something that I will always believe in and always share please never forget that no matter who you are, what you look like, who you LOVE that you are absolutely perfect. Thank you for showing me the most love throughout this year and throughout my entire life. I love you all."
Siwa's coming out was made via a video posted to her millions of followers on TikTok last year. The video shows that Siwa is dancing to Lady Gaga's 2011 hit, "Born This Way," widely referred to as an LGBTQ+ anthem.
With almost 7.8 million likes, 295.3K comments, and over 58.2 million views, it has become one of Siwa's most popular videos on TikTok. Several popular YouTube influencers, including Makeup artists James Charles, Bretman Rock, Comedian Colleen Ballinger, and more, congratulated and commended her.
@itsjojosiwa
Siwa became the first contestant on ABC's Dancing With The Stars (DWTS) to compete with her dance partner.
Jenna Johnson, making them the first same-sex couple ever on the U.S. version of the show. Siwa and Johnson are the ninth same-sex couple in the DWTS franchise.
