Source: GQ
June is widely celebrated as Pride Month globally, allowing the LGBTQ+ community to hold various events and parades and celebrate their individuality. Celebrities often join in the celebration, encouraging many to embrace and celebrate their identities. Among the latest line of actors to celebrate the special month is Disney star Joshua Bassett.
Joshua Bassett’s career started to pick up when he landed the role of Aiden Peters in the comedy series, Stuck in the Middle. However, he rose to prominence when he took the leading role in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. Since then, Bassett has enjoyed the spotlight, participating in several interviews.
During his interview with GQ, he discussed his “coming out” video in May, which had gone viral. Speculations arose when the young actor was asked about singer Harry Styles in an interview to which he expressed respect and admiration before describing styles as “hot.” The internet exploded, curious about the legitimacy of his comment and if he had given himself a label. Bassett attended to all the curious fans on social media with a message of love and rainbow emojis.
“Love who you love shamelessly,” he wrote, “It’s okay to still be figuring out who you are. Life’s too short to let ignorance and hatred win. I choose love.” Bassett supported his words by confirming that he was not joking and stood behind every word he said.
Joshua Bassett later said that he is “anti-coming out in the sense that there’s no need to.” He elaborated by talking about his childhood. Back then, others would attempt to label him as either gay or straight, refusing to believe him when speaking about his sexuality. “There are plenty of letters in the alphabet,” Basset said, “Why bother rushing to a conclusion? 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. All of these can be true. I’m happy to be part of the LGBTQ+ community because they embrace all. Don’t let anyone tell you love isn’t love. They’re the ones who probably need it the most.”
The interview only served to add fuel to the fire of speculations as many fans have been curious about his love life centering around an alleged love triangle with co-star Olivia Rodrigo and former Disney star Sabrina Carpenter. Following the release of Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” and “Deja Vu,” Bassett has avoided discussing any drama in depth despite the media pressure.
Bassett recalls how he felt watching co-stars Joe Serafini and Frankie Rodriguez, who play a gay couple in the Disney show, dance together in the homecoming episode. “I didn’t connect the dots until recently…the reason that made me so emotional,” admitted the young actor, “I’m getting so emotional because they were speaking their truth despite the inevitable reaction they were going to get.”Joshua Bassett hopes that the current generation can feel more at ease when talking about sexuality without needing to be a box and losing the urgency to have it all figured out. “I didn’t necessarily have that when I was younger,” Bassett shared. “I didn’t have a me saying stuff like this. I’m very at peace. I’m celebrating Pride all month long.”
