JoJo Siwa's apparent coming out inspired an outpouring of support
- JoJo Siwa appeared to come out on social media on Wednesday.
- People online reacted with an outpouring of support, sending kind comments and wholesome memes.
- Others expressed how much they felt Siwa's coming out would mean to her younger LGBTQ fans.
Teenage pop star JoJo Siwa appeared to confirm speculation that she was coming out on Friday, posting a photo in which she was wearing a shirt that said "best gay cousin ever." The photo followed several TikTok posts, and other social media activity, that seemed to suggest that Siwa was coming out as part of the LGBTQ community.
On Wednesday evening, Siwa posted a TikTok in which she lip-synced along to Lady Gaga's queer anthem "Born This Way" while wearing a bow with a rainbow in it. The same day, she also appeared in a TikTok video captioned with the hashtag #pridehousela along with several cast members from Disney Channel's "Teen Beach Movie."
Following the videos, many speculated that they were part of Siwa's coming out; others cautioned each other to not label the teen star's sexuality until she chose to do so herself.
Read more:JoJo Siwa's fans are cautioning not to label the star's sexuality amid coming out speculation
On Friday, she posted what appeared to be a more definite coming out post, posing in a shirt she says that her cousin bought for her that reads "Best. Gay. Cousin. Ever." Just over an hour after she posted it, it had amassed over 160,000 likes, with a comment section full of support and wholesome memes.
Lil Nas X, who came out as gay on the last day of Pride month in 2019, also showed support for Siwa in the comments of her tweet, writing, "if u spell 'swag' backwards, it's 'gay'. coincidence??"
Read more: JoJo Siwa appeared to confirm coming out speculation, wearing a 'best gay cousin ever' shirt
Colleen Ballinger, an internet celebrity best known for her persona Miranda Sings, wrote in a tweet, "I've known you a long time and this is the happiest I've ever seen you. You're absolutely glowing and I'm so proud of the woman you are becoming! love yoooou!"
"I love you so much," Siwa replied.
Internet famous dog Doug the Pug, with whom Siwa celebrated National Dog Day in 2018, posted a photo of the two of them together with the caption "Yessss so happy for u @itsjojosiwa!!!"
A number of LGBTQ organizations expressed their support for Siwa as well, including The Trevor Project, Human Rights Campaign, Equality California, and the UK's National Student Pride.
Others expressed on Twitter how much Siwa's coming out would mean to other queer youth given her platform.
Siwa has built a brand on being unapologetically herself - it's something that Kim Kardashian West praised her for when Siwa was named one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people of 2020. It's also a motif that emerges frequently in her lyrics - "Nonstop / Never stopping the way I am," she sings in her 2020 single "Nonstop."