JoJo Siwa to receive Gamechanger Award from GLSEN

FILE - Jojo Siwa poses at the season three premiere of the Disney + streaming series "High School Musical: The Musical: The Series," in Burbank, Calif., on July 27, 2022. 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. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File) (Chris Pizzello, 2022 Invision)

LOS ANGELES – 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.

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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.