JoJo Siwa 'happiest she's ever been' after coming out as part of the LGBTQ community

JoJo Siwa 'happiest she's ever been' after coming out as part of the LGBTQ community
Photo credit: Instagram/JoJo Siwa

Dance Moms star JoJo Siwa says she's "never been happier" after publicly identifying as a member of the LGBTQ community. 

The 17-year-old dancer and YouTuber dropped her first clue by lip-synching to Lady Gaga's LGBTQ anthem 'Born This Way' last week, before sharing a snap wearing a T-shirt that read "Best. Gay. Cousin. Ever" on Instagram. 

In an Instagram Live video addressing the response to her news, Siwa said she had received "endless love and support" after coming out. 

"Now that the world gets to see this side of my life, it makes me really happy," she said. 

"I have never, ever, ever been this happy before and it feels really awesome. I've been happy for a little bit now." 

Siwa explained despite having never fallen in love before, that she had always believed "her person was going to be her person". 

"If that person happened to be a boy, then great. If that person happened to be a girl, great," she added. 

The social media sensation said that she wasn't ready to give herself a label just yet, telling her fans: "I want to share everything with the world but I also want to keep things in my life private until they are ready to be public. Right now what matters is that you guys know that no matter who you love, that it's OK." 

While Siwa's coming out may have been a surprise for some of her followers, she shared that her family had known for some time. 

"My mom said she's known for the last two years," she said. 

"She's like, 'I just know with you!'... She was like, 'I don't think you only like boys, that's totally OK.' ... My family is awesome."