Jojo Siwa and Chris Hughes have been monopolising our attention lately. From the moment the two got a little too close for comfort in the Big Brother house, people have been side-eyeing them both. This has mainly had to do with fans feeling that Siwa was treading a dangerous line between flirty banter and cheating. Hughes, on the other hand, who is a decade older than Siwa, has skipped off scot-free.
First came the intimate conversations, then came the cuddling. Meanwhile, Siwa’s now-ex Kath Ebbs slammed fellow housemate Micky Rourke for his homophobic remarks to Siwa. Alas, their relationship was not to last, and Siwa broke up with Ebbs after leaving the Big Brother house.
Siwa would later announce that she wasn’t, in fact, a lesbian as she had originally felt to be. But instead told fans “I feel so queer” and that she was dropping the ‘L’ and going for the ‘Q’ instead.
Now, the relationship has officially been confirmed, with Siwa confirming that she is “head over heels” for Hughes in a recent interview for The Guardian.
But while she is happily diving into a new relationship, Siwa’s audience is anything but content: some going as far to claim she’s turned “straight” and others arguing that she’s “damaging” the queer community.
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But this isn’t the first time Siwa has faced criticism and rejection from within the LGBTQIA+ community.
Siwa is constantly rejected by the community she belongs to
Siwa is no stranger to critique. One minute she’s being lauded for her iconic status as one half of the first same-sex couple to make it onto Dancing with the Stars, the next people are dunking on her slightly tragic 21st birthday celebrations. She’s either doing gay wrong enough for millions of people to review bomb her first solo song, or being criticised for her ‘pick me’ behaviour.
While no one should escape criticism, the level of hate Siwa has recieved as a young, queer person figuring themselves out on a global stage seems somewhat…well, shitty.
Queer imposter syndrome and wanting to belong
Queer, gender-non conforming folks, trans, bi and pansexual people know a little something about feeling ostrocised by the LGBTQIA+ community. Discrimination from inside the community can look like biphobia, transphobia and many other marginalising behaviours that result in real harm being perpetuated against groups of people who don’t conform to binary ways of being.
As a bisexual person in a hetero-presenting relationship myself, I know just how hard it can be to feel as though you can and should take up space in LGBTQIA+ spaces. We’d do well to remember that perpetuating biphobia or discrimination of any kind leads to people feeling as though they aren’t enough.
What’s more, we should all be mindful of is that sexuality isn’t a linear experience for many people, who will undoubtedly go on many journeys of discovery as they grow and develop into themselves.
Nobody knows who they are at 22. Give Siwa a break.
