Rivera was also praised by celebrities for her role as queer woman of colour.
As Pose star Ryan Jamaal Swain wrote on Twitter“Miss Santana Lopez, one of the first queer characters that I recognized myself as, was it. QPOC is a Primetime TV program. Naya, I want to thank you so much for your care and professionalism. You did it. I will always remember you as one of my heroes. [sic].”
YouTuber Hannah Hart noted, “#NayaRivera & the Santana storyline on Glee freed many closed-minded, self-hating gays like me. Only a multi-talented performer & force like Naya could bring a background character forward into the spotlight.”
Performers who were on the same screen as her can also be included. Demi Lovato did for a brief time in the show’s fifth season, were changed by Rivera’s character. Rivera’s character changed my life forever. GleeThe superstar tweeted, ” Twitter. “Your character was innovative for tons of queer (at that time) closeted girls, like myself. Your ambition and achievements were inspirational to Latina women around the globe.”