The cast for Season 32 of Dancing with the Stars is certainly diverse. Actor Barry Williams from The Brady Bunch will be getting his groove on along with How I Met Your Mother star Alyson Hannigan. Social media influencer Lele Pons will also be waltzing in the ballroom.
And singer Jason Mraz is paired up with pro Daniella Karagach. Vanderpump Rules star Ariana Madix is ready to set the floor on fire with partner Pasha Pashkov. Fun fact: Daniella and Pasha are married in real life and recently welcomed their first child.
Jason and Ariana are happy to represent
DWTS has been moving towards more inclusivity for the LGBTQ+ community. Season 30 of the show introduced the first same-sex pairing. Contestant JoJo Siwa danced with her partner, Jenna Johnson. And last season, as the show’s first all-male pairing, Shangela brought the house down with pro Gleb Savchenko.
Jason told GLAAD that he is happy to represent the bisexual community. “I was closeted for my whole life and now coming out of the closet as a dancer as well,” he said. “So that feels great.”
He added, “There’s all kinds of people out there in the world and we’re all human and all humans deserve the same love and same life.” The Jason Mraz Foundation, which supports arts inclusivity, helps children pursue their dreams.
”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’s more inclusive and easier for every kid to pursue their life’s dream,” Jason explained.
Ariana wants more representation
Meanwhile, Ariana would like to see more inclusivity. “I would love to see more and more representation all across the board. So, to be able to represent my community in that way, I’m really really grateful,” Ariana stated.
“I feel like the thing with any sexuality — especially with bisexuality — people want to categorize or pigeonhole and assume that like it’s a monolith, everyone’s the same,” she explained. “People don’t understand. I think the more that we’re out there, the more people are able to understand,” Ariana said.
You can watch Jason and Ariana when Dancing with the Stars Season 32 premieres on Tuesday, September 26 at 8/7c on ABC, streaming live on Disney Plus, and available next day on Hulu.
TELL US – IS DANCING WITH THE STARS MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AS FAR AS REPRESENTING THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY? WHO ARE YOU ROOTING FOR ON THE SEASON 32 CAST?
