Demi Lovato Opens Up On Lesbian 'Glee' Role

Continuing to break from her Disney roots in quite a different way than other starlets from her generation, all grown-up Demi Lavato is reportedly set to join the cast of "Glee" as the lesbian love interest of Santana (Naya Rivera) this fall.

Speaking with Access Hollywood on the red carpet at the Season 3 premiere of "The X-Factor," Lovato gushed about her excitement surrounding the opportunity to work with the "Glee" cast and crew.

I get to play a lesbian on the show and that’s something that I feel like hasn’t really been brought to primetime with, you know, as a young actress, and I think it represents where our society is today. It’s becoming the norm and I’m really glad that I get to represent that — how far we’ve come.

You know, 15 years ago you wouldn’t have seen that on TV, but now people are becoming more comfortable with it and I’m glad that I get to represent that, and also, just hopefully inspire people with my character to love who they are and accept who they are and not give a crap what other people think.

With shows such as "Glee" heralded as foundational to the evolving perception and growing acceptance of LGBT individuals within political and social life, Lovato's role will play a large part in providing lesbian visibility within mainstream entertainment. Between her return as a judge on "The X-Factor" and this new venture into "Glee" following the death of Cory Monteith, Lovato seems to be well on her way to a takeover of the Fox Network.

“I’m really excited because not only do I get to join a cast of a bunch of people that I’ve already [been] friends with for a while now… it’s just gonna be fun,” said Demi.

"Glee" is slated to return to Fox on Sept. 26.