JoJo Siwa To Receive Prestigious GLSEN Honor For Her LGBTQ Advocacy Work

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Social media sensation JoJo Siwa will be honored by the LGBTQ education group GLSEN next month for her anti-bullying and advocacy efforts.

The organization says it will recognize the 19-year-old singer, dancer and content creator with its Gamechanger Award at an Oct. 14 gala at the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills, California.

Siwa appeared on the reality television series “Dance Moms” with her mom and recently made guest appearance on “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” as a queer character. Last year, she made history on ABC’s competition series “Dancing with the Stars,” becoming the first contestant to dance with a same sex partner.

Melanie Willingham-Jaggers, executive director of GLSEN, said Siwa will be honored for her focus on anti-bullying and being a “fierce advocate for kindness, self-acceptance” for the LGBTQ community. She said Siwa handled coming out as a pansexual last year with “such grace.”

The organization aims to increase inclusivity for K-12 students for all genders, gender expressions and sexual inclusivity through research and educational resources.