Out 'Jeopardy' Champ Mattea Roach Happy to Be Part of Queer Representation

Out Canadian Mattea Roach continuing her winning streak on "Jeopardy," and is again bringing queer representation to the forefront on the popular quiz show. Earlier this year trans contestant Amy Schneider had a streak of 40 wins, second only to the show's current host, Ken Jennings, who won 74 straight wins in 2004.

But for Roach, sexuality is not all that much germane to her winning streak, though she has been open about it. "She hasn't made a big thing out of her sexuality, but nor is it a secret," writes the website Coast Reporter. "Her Twitter bio, which reads "lesbian, Nova Scotian, 19x Jeopardy champ," was deliberately crafted to satisfy viewers' curiosity because she figured people might wonder."

With her wins, Roach is the sixth-longest running contestant in "Jeopardy" history. "Her cumulative winnings now total over $460,000 as of her 19th game Friday, and she boasts a 92% accuracy rate in her responses,�per 'Jeopardy!'," reports CNN.

"Roach is also the latest LGBTQ 'Jeopardy!' super-champion after�Amy Schneider's triumphant run�on the show. Schneider, a trans woman, earned more than $1.3 million in a 40-game win streak earlier this year, one of the longest streaks in the show's history," CNN adds.

"It's been such an honor and a pleasure to be part of what has been such an incredible a legacy of queer and trans champions," Roach said in an�interview with GLAAD, the LGBTQ media advocacy organization. "And also just queer and trans contestants really, like, showing up on the show and bringing a lot of flavor, I think, has been really fun for me to watch as a viewer."

Looking forward to perhaps playing against Schneider in an upcoming Tournament of Champions, Roach said she would be fine if she were to lose. "Even if I get the pants beaten off me, I don't care!" she told GLAAD.

Of her considerable earnings, Roach said, the winnings "set me up to be much more financially secure through my twenties. ...�Before that felt like something that was just an imaginable dream, I didn't think I was ever going to get there." Roach also�talks about how her winning streak is an important moment for queer visibility,�"It has been such an honor and a pleasure to be part of what has been an incredible legacy of queer and trans champions."

She also discussed to "Good Morning America's" Robin Roberts what her approach to playing is, which includes a ritual she has been doing since she was a school girl.

"There's so many things that you don't know going into a game – what the categories are going to be, who your opponents are and what their strengths and weaknesses are, where are the Daily Doubles – so, really just focusing on reading the clue and coming up with a response as quickly as possible so that when the host finishes reading, I'm ready to buzz in and I'm thinking about my timing there and not getting distracted by everything else."

Viewers have noticed that Roach often talks to herself during the show, and she revealed that her recitations are usually a prayer.

"When the cameras first started rolling, and Johnny Gilbert is reading the introduction, I'm kind of muttering something a little bit and what I was saying was Hail Marys actually," Roach explained. "I went to Catholic high school and there was a giant image of Mary in the study hall where we would write all our exams. So I started to associate praying to Mary with, I guess, anything intellectual. I figured, you know, it certainly can't hurt. It certainly didn't seem to hurt me."