'Dancing With The Stars' To Feature First Same-Sex Contestant Pairing

“Dancing With the Stars,” the long-running series on Walt Disney Co’s DIS ABC, has announced singer-actress JoJo Siwa will be the first celebrity contestant to be paired in a same-sex partnership with a professional dancer.

What Happened: Siwa, who self-identified as part of the LGBTQ community earlier this year, was featured on the show’s Twitter page previewing her groundbreaking participation.

"I am so excited to be a part of ‘Dancing With the Stars,’ Season 30, and to be dancing with a girl," said the 18-year-old Siwa. "I think it’s so cool."

Siwa’s partner on the show, which pairs a celebrity with a professional ballroom dancer in weekly dance contests, has not been named. The new season of “Dancing With the Stars” is scheduled to premiere on Sept. 20.

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What Else Happened: Fan reaction to the news was mixed, with some people congratulating Siwa on joining the show while others pointed out that Siwa comes to “Dancing With the Stars” with an advantage because she appeared for two seasons on known for appearing for two seasons on the Lifetime series “Dance Moms." The concept of “Dancing With the Stars” is to view the progress of celebrities with little or no dancing experience with each weekly episode.

Another 18-year-old, Olympian gymnast Suni Lee, was also named as a contestant on the show’s new season. The rest of the celebrity line-up will be announced on Sept. 8, with Tyra Banks returning as the show’s host.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons.