“The Bachelorette Australia” has officially cast their first openly LGBTQ lead: Brooke Blurton. Blurton is bisexual and a Noongar-Yamatji woman, which is very notable because the Bachelor franchise is not known for its diversity. She will be the first in franchise history to represent her country’s aboriginal peoples. Blurton first appeared on the 2017 season of the Bachelor, where she was openly bisexual. Since then, she has made it a point to use her social media platform to raise awareness and educate people about LGBTQ+ issues.

Former Bachelor star, Colton Underwood, recently came out as gay after appearing on “The Bachelorette” in 2014, then going on to star in his own season of “The Bachelor”. This shocked many fans, but brought up the topic of having an LGBTQ lead in the Bachelor and Bachelorette seasons to come. Fan’s wishes seem to have come true with the casting of Blurton. After her casting was announced, Blurton took to her Instagram story to say, “I don’t take this representation lightly. I am taking it with pride and absolute integrity, but also be kind to me. At the end of the day I am also just Brooke. I represent a lot, but I am also just a Carnarvon girl who came from nothing who desires and wants the love and connection she deserves.”

Photo courtesy of: https://www.vogue.com.au/culture/features/everything-you-need-to-know-about-brooke-blurton-australias-historymaking-new-bachelorette/image-gallery/66e885ded861418323a4370a49e80f89