JoJo Siwa has reflected on the pushback she received for her romance with Love Island’s Chris Hughes.
Earlier this year, the ‘Karma’ singer embarked on a transformative journey after she entered the Celebrity Big Brother UK house.
While competing in the competition, the 22-year-old revealed to Drag Race UK winner Danny Beard that she now identifies as queer after previously referring to herself as a lesbian.
“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 realised, ‘Oh, I’m not a lesbian, I’m queer.’ And I think that’s really cool,” she explained.
“I’m switching letters! I’ve dropped the L, and I’ve gone to the Q, baby! That’s what I love about sexuality.”
However, the biggest thing to come out of Siwa’s run on Celebrity Big Brother UK has been her romantic relationship with Hughes, which she confirmed to The Guardian in June.
“It’s not platonic any more, 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 revealed.
While Siwa has stepped further into her truth and seems happier than ever, it hasn’t stopped the online biphobic backlash, with some critics even accusing her of “turning straight.”
In a recent interview on the Reign with Josh Smith podcast, the 22-year-old singer addressed the pushback, describing it as “really hard.”
“It’s hard because it feels like my own family turned a little bit. And I think we are the LGBTQIA+ family, not the LG community, and it’s a beautiful rainbow. And the number one saying of the queer community is, ‘Love is love.’ And that goes both ways,” she explained.
“And I think that’s beautiful, because it just shows once again, love is love. I guess what I’m trying to say is that just because you’re in a heterosexual relationship, that doesn’t discredit my past. You know what I mean?”
Elsewhere in her interview, Siwa opened up about her bond with fellow queer singer Fletcher, who faced similar backlash for also entering into a relationship with a man.
“She and I have a very similar story at a very similar time, and I saw people doing the same thing to her. And her and I have kind of been able to talk and be there for each other and be like, ‘Dude, this is crazy.’ And she’s like, ‘I get you, you get me.’ Like, what’s happening? Like this is from inside our own house,” she continued.
Siwa went on to detail some of the in-person bullying she faced from other queer people.
“Women holding hands, women cuddling together in public, I see them see me and I see them laugh, I see them point, I see them roll their eyes. Now I see them come up to me and take a photo and run away,” she explained.
“I see them flip me off while I’m driving. I see them. Someone the other day came and stood outside my studio with the middle finger up for about two minutes, and then just walked away from within the queer community.”
Due to the public response, Siwa revealed that she is now guarded whenever she meets other queer people.
“I immediately go, ‘Do you like me or do they hate me? Does he already have a preconceived opinion of me? Is he on the side of the internet, that is, ooh, she’s a horrible person?'” she continued.
Towards the end of her interview, Smith asked the Dance Moms star how she identified, to which the former replied: “queer.”
“I think that’s a beautiful umbrella term, and it gives flexibility and it gives fluid. I think that pansexual, obviously, is exactly what I feel. I think some people would also say bisexual, I think that’s very, very easy,” she explained.
“But yeah, I don’t get hung up on that. I think that I was, and I felt that I needed to be, and it’s just exhausting. What’s the point? I’m happy.”
You can watch her full interview below.
