A Georgetown University student created a petition last month to rename the Ronald Reagan Airport in Washington, D.C., after LGBT star JoJo Siwa.
In nearly two weeks, more than 5,500 people have signed the petition to change the capital city airport from honoring the United States’ 40th president to Jojo Siwa Washington National Airport after the “Dance Moms” cast member.
Georgetown student Dylan Long started the petition, writing in the description portion: “Why on earth is there an airport named after this war criminal[?]”
The petition set its signature goal at 7,500 people.
During an interview with Georgetown’s student-run publication The Hoya, Long said he chose a prominent LGBT figure because of how former-President Reagan dealt with the AIDS epidemic.
“I really did not put too much thought into who it was, but my reasoning for picking JoJo Siwa was related to the fact that Reagan in his presidency did a lot of really terrible things with regard to the LGBTQ communities, specifically with the HIV and AIDS pandemic,” Long said. “I decided to pick JoJo Siwa because she’s been this recent rise as a new LGBT figure.”
The airport does not have any authority over its name due to the fact that it is owned by the federal government, requiring Congress to approve any name change.
The petition’s comment section revealed contempt for President Reagan, with one individual calling him a “terrible man.”
“Reagan was a terrible man and JoJo seems nice,” the comment stated.
“Ronald Regan rigged the economy for the rich and screwed over everyone else. Jojo Siwa was on Dance Mom’s and I like her better. Plus she’s gay,” another comment said.
Another supporter of the petition said Siwa “has done more for the American public than Ronald Reagan ever did.”
One commenter unloaded on the former president, asserting “his superficially sunny disposition – and a ruthless political strategy of exploiting white-male resentments … convinced millions of Americans that the threats they faced were: African-American welfare queens, Central American leftists, a rapidly expanding Evil Empire based in Moscow, and the do-good federal government.”
“JoJo is the shit. She is my president. Something must be done,” the commenter added.
In January, Siwa became the subject of admiration among LGBT individuals when she announced via the social media platform TikTok that she identifies as a member of the community, lip-synching Lady Gaga’s song “Born This Way” and posting a photo of herself in a shirt that said: “Best. Gay. Cousin. Ever.”
