Source: GQ

The world has made some phenomenal progress on how gender and sexuality have been viewed. As a society, we have become more open about the fluidity of it all, but there is still such a long way to go before it is openly accepted by the majority of people. High School Musical: The Musical: The Series star Joshua Bassett has openly addressed that he is part of the LGBTQ community, but in a recent interview, he has openly expressed that he is “anti-coming out.”

Shedding light on his personal truth, the star has always avoided labels surrounding his sexuality. The 20-year-old singer and actor sparked the internet’s rabid curiosity when he called Harry Styles hot. Internet speculators took this as Joshua “coming out,” but the star had other things in mind and gave the internet a piece of it.

“I’m happy to be a part of the LGBTQ+ community,” said Joshua. “But I am anti-coming out in the sense that there’s no need to be. People are welcome to have boxes if they want them,” he added. After his admiration for Harry Styles blew up on the internet, he took to Instagram to encourage people to love who they love and sent a message of validation and assurance to those that are still figuring out their sexuality.

Growing up, Joshua has always heard comments about his sexuality. He was often described to have a “feminine sort of energy,” as he was raised around his five sisters. He said people assumed he would grow up to be gay, told him reasons he couldn’t be gay or didn’t believe him if he claimed to be either straight or gay.

Joshua Bassett firmly believes that it is not necessary to put a label on his own sexuality. “Sometimes your letter changes, sometimes you try a different one, other times you realize you’re not what you thought you were, or maybe you always knew,” he said. “All of these can be true. I’m happy to be a part of the LGBTQ+ community because they embrace all.”

He hopes that his message will resonate with other members of the LGBTQ community. He hopes that the experience of other young LGBTQ celebrities will also allow his generation to be more comfortable and safe talking about sexuality without feeling pressured to pick a box.

For a while now, the star has been rumored to be the subject behind High School Musical: The Musical: The Series co-star Olivia Rodrigo’s breakup anthems. By a sudden turn of events, Joshua encountered a life-threatening medical emergency two days after Rodrigo’s hit single

“Driver’s License” was released. The unfortunate event led to even more wild speculation from fans all over the internet.

What he initially thought of as food poisoning began to get worse, leading to him being hospitalized the day his own single “Lies, Lies, Lies” was released. It turns out he was diagnosed with septic shock, a condition described as a severe drop in blood pressure and heart failure. 

With all these talks about love, heartbreak, and sexuality, Joshua Bassett has made his message clear. Hoping that it will ring true to new fans and old fans alike, he envisions a future where all this talk about sexuality wouldn’t be as taboo as it is today.