Popular BBC show Strictly Come Dancing continues to be a beacon of inclusivity with same-sex dance partners, and even professionals are impressed.
Last year, Leighton Williams reached the final with Nikita Kuzmin, becoming the fifth same-sex pair in history to compete in the long-running competition.
Johannes Radebe, who moved into fourth place alongside Annabelle Croft, praised the show for being “progressive” and teaching the world.
“I think Strictly is one of those shows that shows the whole world what it’s like to do.” [to be] It’s progressive in terms of inclusion,” he shared.
In series 19, Johannes was paired with chef John White in the first all-male couple, but lost in the final to Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice.
The choreographer told RadioTimes: “I’m proud to be part of an organization that recognizes that it takes everything to make the world move, and that’s great.”
This year’s Strictly was somewhat overshadowed by its stars’ personal issues, including Amy Dowden’s battle with cancer and Amanda Abbington and Giovanni’s drama.
However, its continued efforts to build a platform for the LGBTQ+ community have been widely praised by viewers over the years.
Johannes added: “Honestly, I’m happy for now because we’re teaching the world!”
In 2020, professional dancer Katya Jones made history as the first same-sex couple with Nicola Adams, but there was some backlash at the time.
The pairing of Johannes and John the following year proved that this was no one-off show of solidarity, with the Bake Off star saying: “The reaction was very positive.”
He continued at the time: “I was going to be in an all-male partnership for the first time and I really thought I was going to get a lot of hate because you do it as a gay man. You grow up and learn to deal with it. , we don’t have to, but we need to.
“For the little kids who watch this show, having a same-sex role model gives them a little bit of hope for the future, and they don’t grow up with the same shame that I did. ”
The following year, the show introduced Richie Anderson and Giovanni and Jade Adams and Karen Hauer as same-sex dance duos.
He has also received harsh praise from the likes of LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall, who previously said: metro.co.jp: “We cannot be invisible.
“Seeing two same-sex dancers entertain viewers through this series will mean so much to LGBTQ+ people across the country.”
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