JoJo Siwa is getting candid about her journey with her sexuality.
In a new interview with YOU Magazine, the 22-year-old performer shared that she initially felt “pressured” to label herself as a lesbian after coming out.
“When I came out at 17, I said: ‘I’m pansexual, because I don’t care [about gender].’ But then I kind of boxed myself in and I said: ‘I’m a lesbian.’ And I think I did that because of pressure,” she explained.
Siwa added that the pressure wasn’t always external. “From people I know, from partners I’ve had,” she said. “You just get put in this world where you feel like, because you now have said, ‘Oh, I’m a lesbian,’ you have to be a lesbian. And the truth is, sexuality is fluid.”
During her time on Celebrity Big Brother earlier this year, Siwa re-evaluated her identity. “I feel, like, so queer, do you know what I mean?” she told co-star Danny Beard. “I’ve always told myself I’m a lesbian, and I think being here I’ve realized: ‘Oh, I’m not a lesbian, I’m queer.’”
She even joked about her evolution: “I’ve dropped the L and I’ve gone to the Q baby! That’s what I love about sexuality,” to which Beard responded, “You are Q, honey. And you know that British people love a queue!”
After the show, Siwa split from then-partner Kath Ebbs, who identifies as non-binary. She later confirmed in an interview with The Guardian that she’s now dating Chris Hughes.
“It’s not platonic anymore, 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 shared.
