JoJo Siwa told PEOPLE over the weekend that she and Candace Cameron Bure haven’t spoken since Bure, the new Chief Creative Officer for television network Great American Family, said that the network would “keep traditional marriage at the core.”
Siwa, who rose to popularity after starring on the reality show “Dance Moms” at the age of nine, called Bure’s comments “rude and hurtful to a whole community of people.”
The 19-year-old singer/dancer, who identifies as pansexual, believes that she can use her voice “for something good and to change the world for the better.” She has garnered praise from fellow celebrities, including Bure’s costar, Jodie Sweetin.
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“I am being honest and maybe being a little disruptive to somebody’s life, but it’s what I believe in,” Siwa told PEOPLE, referring to her public dressing down of Bure. “And so to have good people stand behind you with it felt really nice.”
Siwa previously called Bure the “rudest celebrity” she had ever met. Although the two celebrities worked out their differences, the four-time Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards winner made it known that she and Bure and haven’t spoken since.
“We have not [talked], and I don’t think we ever will again,” Siwa said. “That’s what’s [explicit] up. You not liking gay marriage, do your thing, girl. You being religious, do your thing, girl. Of course, I would want everybody to do what they want to do. But to purposefully exclude someone because of who they love, that’s [explicit].”
GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis invited Bure to have a conversation with her in a tweet last week, saying, “It’s irresponsible and hurtful for Candace Cameron Bure to use tradition as a guise for exclusion. I’d love to have a conversation with Bure about my wife, our kids, and our family’s traditions.”
RELATED: Candace Cameron Bure Responds to JoJo Siwa’s Accusation That She Is the ‘Rudest Celebrity’
Ellis continued, “Bure is out of sync with a growing majority of people of faith, including LGBTQ people of faith, who know that LGBTQ couples and families are deserving of love and visibility. As the company’s Chief Creative Officer, her statement is harmful and insulting to LGBTQ employees, as well as employees with LGBTQ friends and family.”
Ellis urged viewers to reconsider their involvement with a network that would “intentionally exclude stories about LGBTQ couples, then actors, advertisers, cable and streaming platforms, and production companies should take note and seriously consider whether they want to be associated with a network that holds exclusion as one of its values.”
Siwa said that she wants Bure to take Ellis up on her invitation and have a conversation with GLAAD.
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