“Vanderpump Rules” star Ariana Madix called for more representation of the bisexual community at the “Dancing With the Stars” Season 32 cast reveal Wednesday night.
“I would love to see more and more representation all across the board,” Madix told GLAAD alongside her professional dancing partner Pasha Pashkov. “So to be able to represent my community in that way, I’m really, really grateful.”
Madix was the first celebrity announced for Season 32 of “Dancing With the Stars,” fresh off the so-called “Scandoval” of the Bravo reality show, in which she found out that her live-in boyfriend Tom Sandoval was two-timing her with best friend Raquel Leviss.
“The thing with any sexuality, especially with bisexuality, I think people want to categorize or pigeonhole and assume that like, it’s a monolith, everyone’s the same,” she added. “So I think that the more representation, the more you see — like, the individuality and how people live their lives, [the more] you know that there’s somebody out there that’s just like you. And I do think the criticism [of bisexuality] is, like, people don’t understand. So I think the more that we’re out there, the more people are able to understand.”
GLAAD also spoke with singer-songwriter Jason Mraz, who came out as bisexual in a 2018 interview after “broadcasting as hetero,” in his words. Mraz will also compete this season on “DWTS” with professional partner Daniella Karagach.
“I feel great. I was closeted for my whole life and now coming out of the closet as a dancer, as well. So that feels great,” Mraz told GLAAD. “There’s all kinds of people out there in the world and we’re all human. All humans deserve the same love and same life possibilities. Same opportunities. Every kid who has a dream deserves to see what it’s like to fulfill that dream. I was lucky enough to grow up in a system that worked for me, and I know that system doesn’t work for everybody. So it’s important to build programming and change the system so that it is more inclusive and easier for every kid to pursue their life’s dream.”
Watch the “Dancing With the Stars” cast reveal interviews in the video above.
