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Demi Lovato said she would forever cherish the opportunity to play Naya Rivera's girlfriend on 'Glee,' because 'she helped queer girls like me'

Demi Lovato said she would forever cherish the opportunity to play Naya Rivera's girlfriend on 'Glee,' because 'she helped queer girls like me'

Lindsay Dodgson

Demi Lovato paid tribute to Naya Rivera, whose body was found five days after she went missing while on a boating trip with her son.
Lovato played Rivera's girlfriend for a short while on "Glee" — a moment she said she would "forever cherish" on social media.
She said Rivera's character, Santana Lopez, was "groundbreaking for tons of closeted queer girls like me" who were figuring out their sexuality.
LGBTQ people have also been sharing their tributes to Rivera on social media, saying she helped them too.

Demi Lovato posted an emotional tribute to Naya Rivera after the Ventura County Sheriff's Department confirmed that her body was found in Lake Piru, California, five days after she went missing while on a boating trip with her son.

Lovato played Dani, the girlfriend of Rivera's character on "Glee," Santana Lopez, in season 5. She said it was a chance she would "forever cherish" in a touching post dedicated to Rivera.

"The character you played was groundbreaking for tons of closeted (at the time) queer girls like me," Lovato wrote. "And your ambition and accomplishments were inspiring to Latina women all over the world."

Lovato's character Dani worked at the same diner as Santana, and their relationship turned romantic after singing a rendition of "Here Comes the Sun." But they broke up when Santana and her ex-girlfriend Brittany Pierce reconciled.

Santana and Brittany, played by Heather Morris, eventually got married on "Glee." Their relationship was the first time many young gay people felt they were represented on TV.

—Team Demi (@ddlovato) July 14, 2020

Fellow LGBTQ fans of the show have also been sharing emotional celebrations of Rivera's career, saying she helped them figure out their own sexuality.

"Naya portrayed Santana so convincingly as gay," one fan wrote. "This scene made me feel so much for her and honestly it was the first time I thought about having a girlfriend which were thoughts I didn't allow myself to have. Now exploring my sexuality her character means more to me than ever."

— (@strongwithinxo) July 13, 2020

Another said Brittany and Santana made her feel that being a gay woman was "less weird and horrible in a very strange judgmental world.

"Naya, my heart is broken for your child, family & friends," she said. "Thank you for lifting the hearts of the lgbtqia community."

—Linda Coogan Byrne (@lindacooganB) July 14, 2020

"Naya was a magnificent woman, daughter and mother. brave, bold and caring. an aura of joy always surrounded her," another tribute reads. "She represented the LGBT community and helped millions of young people around the world to come out. We love you naya. You are an angel."