‘DWTS’ Alum Sharna Burgess Responds to Fans Questioning Her Sexuality After She Kissed Female Friend

Dancing With The Stars pro champion Sharna Burgess responded to fans who questioned her sexuality after she posted a photo of herself kissing a female friend. Several people asked her on Instagram if this was a coming out photo, which Burgess denied. However, she still shared an inspirational message to her fans, telling them she hopes they are comfortable showing affection and love for the people in their lives.

Back on Thursday, Burgess shared a photos with her friends at Burning Man. In one photo, she is seen kissing her friend, hairstylist Kennedy Van Dyke, on the cheek.

“Playing in the dust creating mischief magic and memories, falling in love with souls, falling in love with energy, finding my tribe, sharing my truest unfiltered and uninhibited self and discovering my own unlimitedness… THAT is what it’s all about. That is what’s fed my soul and filled my heart,” Burgess wrote in the caption.

She continued, “It’s impossible to choose what photos to share without blasting your feed.. they are all magical and thanks to @lacostanostra for capturing so many beautiful moments. Some of these will be framed.”

The kissing photo inspired some to ask Burgess if Van Dyke was her girlfriend. This is not the case.

In an Instagram Story video, Burgess said she found all the questions about her sexuality “really amusing.”

“Kissing another woman on the cheek does not make one gay. There is that to start with,” Burgess said. “But also, I hope that you guys are all comfortable with sharing love and affection to the people that you love most in your life. It is a beautiful thing to be able to express your love and gratitude for the people who mean so much to you and I do that a lot. I’m a very physical person.”

Burgess said she considers Van Dyke a sister and the other friends in the photos are her family.

“I don’t know if it’s because I’m single and everyone’s trying to find a reason for that and it is humorous, but also I want to say that there’s no need for the shade and the comments underneath, attacking the people who ask. People are curious and that’s OK. Nothing was offensive about the question at all and it’s not a problem to be asked,” Burgess continued.

“But I just want to say that… show the people in your life love and affection. Kiss on the cheek,” she said. “Give them a big bear hug. Send them your energy through your own skin and let them know how much you appreciate them because we have some special people in our lives and we should let them know how much we love them.”

Burgess also responded to some fans specifically with a similar message.

“This woman is my sister, her husband who took the photo is my brother and I have unconditional love for both of them. I hope you are comfortable with sharing affection with the people you love in your life, both men and women, it’s a beautiful thing,” she wrote to one fan.

Burgess is the reigning DWTS mirror ball trophy winner, but she will not get to defend her crown in Season 28. She and Artem Chigvintsev were surprisingly not announced for the upcoming cycle. There is no hard feelings between Burgess and the show though, as she met with host Tom Bergeron for lunch this week.

Dancing With The Stars Season 28 debuts on Monday, Sept. 16 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Photo credit: Paul Archuleta/Getty Images