‘Dancing With the Stars’ to Feature Same-Sex Couple in Season 30

Season 30 of Dancing with the Stars is breaking some long overdue ground and will feature the franchise’s first same-sex dancing team. Internet star JoJo Siwa will be competing in the upcoming season, and she will be dancing with a female pro. Siwa, who came out as gay in January, spoke about the competition at Television Critics Association panel per The Wrap.

“I’m excited that I get to do it,” the Dance Moms alum said. “I think it breaks a wall that’s never been broken down before. … Not only do I now get to share with the world that you get to love who you want to love, but also, you get to dance with who you want to dance with. I think it’s really special.”

“There [are] a lot of barriers that we’re going to have to break through,” Siwa said excitedly. “Who leads? How do you dress? What shoes do you wear? But I think it’s all something that I’m looking forward to.” Host Tyra Banks weighed in on the decision, saying “You’re making history, JoJo. This is history.”

Siwa admitted that she jumped at the possibility to be on Dancing with the Stars. “When I got the email [with] the subject ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ I didn’t even read the email. I just replied, ‘Yes,’” Siwa revealed. “I didn’t look at the time, I didn’t look at anything. I just knew I wanted to do it. Then finally I gathered my thoughts and I ended up going back and reading the email. And in the email, it said, ‘Jojo, would you like to be partnered with a girl or with a boy?’”

Siwa explained that she requested a female partner “without hesitation” when agreeing to the job. “It would be so incredible, it would mean so much to me — and I think so much to a lot of people around the world — if I partnered with another female,” she said. “So right away, it wasn’t a question.” Siwa’s partner won’t be revealed until September 20’s premiere episode, but she has a few ideas of who would be best. “I think Lindsay [Arnold] is awesome. Jenna [Johnson] is incredible. Britt [Stewart] is amazing,” she said. “I think if I got one of those three I would just be so happy.”