Joshua Bassett is embracing being a part of the LGBTQ+ community.
The 20-year-old “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” star is in the new issue of GQ and in it confirms that his coming out was real.
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Last month, in an interview with Clevver News, Bassett was asked about his sexuality, and said, “This is also my coming out video.”
“I wasn’t joking,” the actor and singer tells GQ, adding that the interview gave him “an opportunity to say something that I believe in. I stood behind every word that I said … Even if there are consequences, I would much rather deal with consequences and live my truth than live in fear.”
He continues, “There are plenty of letters in the alphabet… 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 a 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.”
Bassett also says, “I just hope that this generation can feel comfortable, confident, and safe talking about sexuality without needing to be a box and without needing to have it all figured out,” he says. His eyes start to water for a second before he reaches for water and closes them. “It makes me emotional. I didn’t necessarily have that when I was younger. I didn’t have a me saying stuff like this. I’m very at peace. I’m celebrating Pride all month long.”
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For some, Bassett is best known as the supposed inspiration for Olivia Rodrigo’s hit breakup song “Drivers License” and her album Sour.
“People don’t know anything they’re talking about,'” he says of the rumours surrounding them.
“The hardest thing,” he says, has been “biting my tongue in a lot of ways, but the reality is it’s kind of like a lost cause trying to talk about any of that stuff and I refuse to feed into any of the bulls**t, so I just don’t.
“[Everyone] is asking me about Sabrina [Carpenter] and Olivia. Why don’t we focus on these women for who they are? Let’s focus on the art that they’re making and how great they are instead of their relationship to a boy.”
About Rodrigo’s album, though, Bassett only has kind words, telling the magazine that it’s the job of an artist to “carry the emotional weight for other people. That’s what’s so great about Olivia’s album. She was able to articulate the feelings that she felt in a way that works on behalf of other people.”
