Dance Moms star Abby Lee Miller has congratulated her former student JoJo Siwa after she came out as a member of the LGBTQ community on Friday, calling her a "shining example" for kids.
The 17-year-old sparked speculation over her sexuality last week after posting a TikTok lip-synching to Lady Gaga's "Born This Way." She later confirmed she was coming out, but said she preferred not to label herself yet.
"I am really, really, happy," JoJo said in an Instagram video on Saturday.
"I always believed that my person was just going to be my person," she went on. "And if that person happened to be a boy, great, and if that person happened to be a girl, great!"
"I have thought about this," she said when asked about her labels. "And the reason why I'm not ready to say this answer is because I don't really know this answer."
The news was met with a flood of congratulations and joy from fans, who said how important it was for JoJo — who has a huge influence over young children — to encourage kids to be true to themselves.
if you don't think jojo siwa coming out as gay is a big deal; just remember that there are lgbt kids that watch her videos that may have felt so alone with their identity and seeing the person they look up to coming out makes them feel safer and more comfortable with themselves
ok but the impact of jojo siwa coming out to millions of very very young kids and their parents ?? the normalization this has .... a queen
wait now i’m thinking about how kids are gonna see jojo siwa being unapologetically herself and coming out and maybe they will feel comfortable coming out and won’t be ashamed of themselves....now i’m crying /pos
And among them was Abby Lee Miller, who shared a selection of throwback photos with JoJo alongside a congratulatory message calling her a "shining example."
"I always knew the world would be a more colorful, positive, sparkly place with a kind, loving, dazzling triple threat like you in it," Abby Lee wrote.
"Love you kiddo!!!" she added. "Keep making me proud."
And JoJo appeared in the comments, sharing some love of her own.
