There were also celebrities who mentioned the positive impact Rivera’s character had on her when they saw her groundbreaking achievement as a queer woman of color.
As a posestar Ryan Jamaal Swain wrote on Twitter: “One of the first queer characters I saw myself in, Miss Santana Lopez. A QPOC on prime time television. Naya, thank you for treating her carefully, what a force you are. You were and you will be forever be one of my heroes [sic]. “
YouTuber Hannah Hart remarked, “#NayaRivera and the Santana storyline on Glee have set a lot of narrow-minded, self-hating gays free like me. Only an all-rounder and a force like Naya can put a background character in the spotlight.”
Even performers who shared the screen with her when Demi Lovato Did for a short time in the fifth season of the show were changed by Rivera’s character. “I will cherish the opportunity to play your girlfriend on Glee forever,” said the superstar on Twitter. “The character you played was groundbreaking for many (then) closed-back queer girls like me, and your ambition and accomplishments have inspired Latina women all over the world.”
