JoJo Siwa comes out...

I have no idea who she is, but good for her. I’m always happy to see people feeling comfortable living their lives as their authentic selves.

Signed
Mother of a gay son

She was on the reality show Dance Moms then hit big on her own with a touring song dance concert. The tweens love her and the giant bows.

www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/jojo-siwa-comes-out-gay-after-viral-born-way-tiktok-n1255406

OMG, I can hear my neighbors', the Trumpsters', heads exploding clear across the street. Their elementary-school-aged daughter/granddaughter is a huge fan and they've all made such a big deal about JoJo, going to concerts, making posters, wearing the apparel and bows, etc. My guess is there will be no more JoJo worship in that house. If only it were summer, we could hear all about it. On second thought, thank heavens it's winter and we don't have to hear all about it.

Lots of rightie families are going to start experiencing this. Gen Z is a whole different thing and they don't go in for fear-based, fire-and-brimstone, old-white-guys-telling-us-what's-ok-or-not ideologies. They support each other andvalidate each other, and are more mature in their teens than many of their parents are in the 40s/50s (Conway family, looking at you).

The next 10 years will be VERY interesting for them.

I had to Google her because I had no idea who she was and why we should care about her sexuality.  I see that she is very young and has a large young fan base.  I hope that people who admired her before this announcement remain fans.  I still find it odd when anyone publicly announces their sexuality to people other than family and close friends.  My reaction is, "Why is this my business?"  I guess when you are a public figure, it matters somehow?  I would like to see the day that this isn't considered news and that people are all just people, regardless of sexual preference.  The way we humans tend to categorize each other saddens me sometimes.  

What I did read that was interesting is that she has traction alopecia from wearing her hair in that tight ponytail.  I noticed that one side of her forehead hairline is considerably more receded than the other and see that she tends to wear the ponytail to one side. I didn't know you could cause alopecia by continual pulling on the hair root like that.  The good news is that if you stop the causation as soon as you notice the receding hairline, the hair can grow back.  The hair follicle will be permanently damaged if continue pulling on it like this.  Knowing this, why she doesn't stop the ponytail is beyond me.  Yes, I can see it is part of her whole persona, but is it worth a bald forehead for the rest of your life?  And a crooked one at that?  

I clicked on a Youtube video of James Charles giving her a makeover.  In addition to doing her makeup, he took the ponytail out and gave her a cute curled style.  I don't know how old she was when she started becoming popular, but as she grows up, I hope she ditches the bows and ponytail for a style that is healthier for her hair.  The makeover was really well done.  She is a beautiful young woman.  Chatty as heck, but very pretty.

Sexuality=private
Hairline=public consumption


I love this place 🤪🤣🤣🤣

She should though. Skin colors are beautiful. You are dismissing the person, their culture, and who they are if you don't see skin color. I mean I get it, it is with a kind heart but it doesn't help to reduce racism or help anyone overcome obstacles when people say that.

See their skin color. See them for who they are. You are choosing to ignore a part of them when you don't see skin color.

I saw her on Dance Moms. Her mom is frightening. 

The reason this is so important (because like you, I also believe that whatever you want to do is up to you and we all don't have to hear about it) is because SO many LGBTQ youth are struggling. I don't want to make this political, but the political atmosphere over the past 4 years has allowed homophobic people to feel that they can loudly voice their feelings. That same atmosphere has pushed "Christians" to shout their beliefs. Having someone whom kids look up to say it's okay, is SO powerful.

My daughters have friends who have died by suicide because their parents didn't accept them (I am sure there are other issues, but this is really tough). My niece works for a big company that is very LGBTQ friendly. She said that when Biden mentioned transgender people in his acceptance speech, people openly wept. They had never - NEVER - been acknowledged before. We simply cannot underestimate that power that celebrities have to empower us.

This is just beautiful <3 

My first thought was that I hope their heads do explode, but my second thought is I hope the kids learn something from this. 

Children start receiving explicit and implicit messages about the meaning of race from birth and begin to show pro-white/anti-Black bias by age three (Baron & Banaji, 2006).

To counter anti-Black bias and racism, experts recommend naming and taking action against racism with kids as early and as often as possible.

This guide shares some key points and research-based best practices parents and caregivers can use to promote positive racial identity development in children, support conversations about race and racism, and move from conversation to action.

As early as 3-6 months, babies notice and respond differently to people based on race (Kelly et al., 2005). By age 3, children categorize and express bias based on race, and may even use racist language intentionally (Van Ausdale and Feagin, 2001). Before your child can talk, they are already learning about the world, and about race, through your actions.

Who is coming over to the house to visit? Who do they see when they are out and about in the neighborhood? What music are they hearing? What kind of artwork is hanging up on the walls? Are the main characters in the books they read predominantly white? How about the shows and movies they are watching? What race is their pediatrician, principal, and teacher?

Be intentional about seeking out, valuing, and supporting creators, authors, colleagues, neighbors, professionals, and educators of color. You can tell kids “Black Lives Matter” and to value “diversity”, but it won’t mean much unless your actions show it.

It is important to name whiteness and for white people to identify as “white”. Not naming or claiming the word “white” masks whiteness, white supremacy, and white privilege, power, and history as members of the dominant racial group. When white kids learn about racism, they may experience being white as a source of shame or guilt (Tatum, 2017). Share with them examples of white people who have utilized their power and privilege to take action against racism and oppression, and how they can commit to doing the same (Tatum, 2017). Ask them their ideas on how they can speak up and take action against racism and support them in incorporating this as an ongoing practice and action.

We can’t fix a problem until we name it. Naming systems of inequity, such as white supremacy and racism, is key to disrupting their impact on the development of young children. Naming not only brings about an awareness of longstanding, systematic racism, but positively affirms the identities and resistance of oppressed communities (Freire, 1970; Ladson-Billings & Tate,1995; Richerme, 2016). Naming also empowers young children with the vocabulary and shared language needed to identify inequity and take action on their own as they become more experienced around issues of race and social justice.


www.theconsciouskid.org/how-to-talk-to-kids-about-race

I only know who she is because Dance Moms started in our area.  So Dance Moms related news is always local news for us (haha).  And my husband loves celebrity gossip shows, and she was on it with her very decorated house for Christmas.  But I didn't realize she was only 17, I thought she was in her early 20s.

They do. Research says they do. Experts have weighed in. It’s no different than the American Pediatric Association saying too much tv is bad for small children. When we know better we do better. If we don’t do better it’s only because we are comfortable with things remaining exactly as they are.


I know many of you have me on ignore but it’s very easy to click on articles and briefly read the information they contain.

And when others come out, it helps others who are still covering their truth to be braver in coming out.

Do straight people have community center homes to go to when their parents kick them out for being straight? No. But there are centers like that all over for LGBTQ+ teens.

So until the day where LGBTQ+ persons don't need to fear for their safety and canopenly be who they are, I say keep the coming outs. You never know who can be helped from it

Well, I’m glad for this thread. My kids being older now, and boys not into dance, I had never heard of JoJo before. I learned about something new, and watched a number of her videos. It seems like her appeal might be similar to the High School Musical crew when my boys were young.

Anyhow, good for her for being comfortable enough in her own skin to come out. 🌈🏳️‍🌈