Jojo Siwa makes “Dancing with the Stars” history

In the current season of “Dancing with the Stars,” you may notice something is different.

Most ballroom dancing couples are traditionally one male and one female, almost always excluding same-sex couples. However, for the first time in the history of the American version of the show, a same-sex pairing is competing this season.

Jojo Siwa — known for “Dance Moms,” various Nickelodeon shows, and YouTube — is competing this season with dance partner Jenna Johnson. 

At the start of the year, Siwa publicly came out in an Instagram post and has been living her best life with her girlfriend.  

In an interview with People.com, Siwa stated, “technically I would say that I am pansexual because that’s how I have always been. My whole life is just like, my human is my human.” 

She went on to add “this is the first time that I’ve felt so personally happy.”

Seeing Siwa, an influential figure to many young kids, being in the first pairing of this kind is groundbreaking. While this has been a long time coming for the American show, a same-sex pairing is a huge step forward, and hopefully will be maintained in future seasons.

Of course, this decision has caused controversies.  

People are not a fan of breaking tradition in the ballroom, and still believe this type of pairing is ruining ballroom dancing. Since Siwa is a huge public figure, many people feel this is forceful exposure of LGBTQIA+ people to their children.  

Since Siwa is a professional dancer, people believe it’s unfair to the other contestants who aren’t. However, this isn’t the first time a professional dancer has been on the show, it’s just the first time people are mad about it.

Seeing Siwa perform her quickstep on the premiere episode was the most exciting thing on “Dancing with the Stars” in a while. Watching Siwa perform can brighten anyone’s day; she’s a natural-born performer.

Even when her dance partner slipped, Siwa didn’t miss a beat: She picked Johnson up with a huge smile on her face. The pair scored a 29 out of 40, the highest score of the night. 

Due to this pairing, this season of “Dancing with the Stars” is sure to be a big deal. Tuning in every week to see Siwa perform has brought new excitement to people’s daily lives, as many online fans are on team Siwa, hoping she makes history by winning.