Latest news with #YOUMagazine
New York Post
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
JoJo Siwa claims she felt ‘pressured' into coming out as a lesbian: ‘I kind of boxed myself in'
JoJo Siwa has shared some surprising details about her coming out experience. The former 'Dance Moms' star, 22, has revealed that she felt 'pressured' into coming out as a lesbian in an interview with the Daily Mail's YOU Magazine published on Friday, June 20. 'When I came out at 17, I said: 'I'm pansexual, because I don't care,'' Siwa explained. 'But then I kind of boxed myself in and I said: 'I'm a lesbian.' And I think I did that because of pressure.' 8 JoJo Siwa has shared some surprising details about her coming out experience. This Morning/YouTube 8 'But then I kind of boxed myself in and I said: 'I'm a lesbian.' And I think I did that because of pressure,' she revealed. Paige Kahn for Page Six Siwa claimed that she felt 'pressured' to come out as a lesbian from people she knew and members of the LGBTQ+ community. 'From people I know, from partners I've had,' she continued. 'You just get put in this world where you feel like, because you now have said, 'Oh, I'm a lesbian,' you have to be a lesbian. And the truth is, sexuality is fluid.' Siwa, who came out publicly in 2021, previously reflected on her sexuality earlier this year while competing on 'Celebrity Big Brother UK.' 8 Siwa came out publicly in 2021 when she was 17. Getty Images for GLAAD 8 Siwa realized she no longer identified as a lesbian while competing on 'Celebrity Big Brother UK' earlier this year. Christopher Peterson / Although she initially identified as a lesbian, it wasn't until competing on the show that she realized she was queer. 'I feel, like, so queer, do you know what I mean?' she told fellow contestant and 'RuPaul's Drag Race UK' alum Danny Beard. 'I've always told myself I'm a lesbian, and I think being here I've realized: 'Oh, I'm not a lesbian, I'm queer.' And I think that's really cool.' 'I've dropped the L and I've gone to the Q baby!' Siwa added at the time. 'That's what I love about sexuality.' 8 The 'Dance Moms' alum recently confirmed that she is dating her 'Celebrity Big Brother UK' co-contestant Chris Hughes. 8 Siwa and Hughes' relationship was rumored to be the main reason behind her split from ex-partner Kath Ebbs in April. Instagram/@kathebbs More recently, the reality star-turned-musician revealed that she was dating 'Love Island UK' star Chris Hughes. The pair met while they were both competing on 'Celebrity Big Brother UK,' and there were rumors that Siwa's 'beautiful' relationship with Hughes was what led to her split from her previous partner, Kath Ebbs, during the show's season finale afterparty on April 26. 'In terms of Mr. Christopher, I don't know,' Ebbs, who identifies as non-binary, said in a fiery TikTok clip shared after their split from Siwa. 8 Siwa confirmed she was dating Hughes during an interview published on June 2. chrishughesofficial/Instagram 8 'It's not platonic anymore, and it's been a beautiful development, a beautiful connection, and I'm absolutely head over heels for him, and he's the same way,' Siwa said of Hughes. 'I have opinions,' Ebbs added in the since-deleted video. 'I'm not gonna say them now. In terms of their relationship, that's their journey, enjoy.' Siwa later confirmed she was dating Hughes, 32, during an interview with The Guardian published on June 2. 'It's not platonic anymore, and it's been a beautiful development, a beautiful connection, and I'm absolutely head over heels for him, and he's the same way,' she said of her new boyfriend.
Buzz Feed
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
JoJo Siwa Talks Lesbian Identity Pressure: Opinion
JoJo Siwa discussed feeling "pressure" to identify as a lesbian, so let's talk about it. When JoJo first came out in 2021, she generally used the term "gay" as more of a synonym for queer. "I don't know, bisexual, pansexual, queer, lesbian, gay, straight. I always just say gay because it just kind of covers it or queer because I think the keyword is cool, she told People. "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." She even made headlines for not liking the word "lesbian." In the years that followed, JoJo did occasionally use the term "lesbian" and was publicly in relationships with women and nonbinary people. During her stint on Big Brother earlier this year, she ultimately concluded, 'I feel, like, so queer, do you know what I mean? I think that's the thing, I've always told myself I'm a lesbian, and I think being here I've realized: 'Oh, I'm not a lesbian, I'm queer,' and I think that's really cool.' She is currently dating co-star Chris Hughes. JoJo is currently set to be on the cover of the Daily Mail's YOU Magazine this weekend. Ahead of the full interview, the tabloid ran an excerpt with a headline beginning, "I was pressured into calling myself a lesbian." In the interview, she said, "When I came out at 17, I said: 'I'm pansexual, because I don't care [about gender].' But then I kind of boxed myself in and I said: 'I'm a lesbian.' And I think I did that because of pressure." 'In a weird way, I think it came a little bit from inside the [LGBTQ] community at times,' she continued. 'From people I know, from partners I've had. You just get put in this world where you feel like, because you now have said, 'Oh, I'm a lesbian,' you have to be a lesbian. And the truth is, sexuality is fluid.' Now, I know that weird straight people will jump on the headline as evidence of some gay conspiracy. But all this does is ignore the evident biphobia that underpins JoJo's story. And yes, this can come from people who are queer themselves! In fact, I am almost certain that any bisexual person you ask will say they've experienced some form of biphobia in LGBTQ spaces — there's even a term for it, "double discrimination." When someone so young is being told by both straight and gay people that their sexuality isn't legitimate, can you blame them for going with what feels more right to them in the moment? I'm using "biphobia" here as a blanket term for "anti-fludity." It's a problem that's been around for eons. Years ago, I asked a leader at a company I worked at about the prevalence of bi-erasure. In response, he, a man in his 60s, said that he likely would have identified as bisexual if he were coming out now, but instead went with "gay" because he felt that people wouldn't have believed him. Such is the double-edged sword with biphobia: Whether you're a man or a woman, it's assumed that you're simply into men. Plus, as JoJo says, sexuality is fluid. I can't help but wonder if the people making the biggest deal over this have an internal abhorrence over someone, well, expressing that fluidity. I'm just an idiot with a keyboard, but it really bothers me 0% if someone updates their preferred terms. It's all very "backlash at Demi Lovato for using she/her pronouns again," even though they are still nonbinary and their point was completely missed in that discourse. There's also the frustration from people who say things like, "Well, why did JoJo have to make being a lesbian such a big part of her brand?" For one, JoJo said that she "basically got blackballed" by Nickelodeon after she came out (Nickelodeon has denied this). It's possible that the decision to pivot so hard into the queerness of it all may not have been driven just by her. This is 2025: I have to write a defense piece about JoJo Siwa. In short, don't aim your hate at JoJo. Aim it at the biphobic system, and, instead, let us unite about the 11-year age gap between her and Chris. Looking for more LGBTQ+ or Pride content? Then check out all of BuzzFeed's posts celebrating Pride 2025.
