High School Musical star Joshua Bassett. (Screen capture via YouTube/Clevver News)
High School Musical star Joshua Bassett proved he was only human Monday (10 May) as he gushed over Harry Styles in his “coming out video”.
Bassett, 20, spoke to Clevver News, a pop culture and entertainment news YouTube account, about his deepest regrets and starring as Ricky Owen in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.
In one of the many, many fan questions about Harry Styles, Bassett fawned over the singer as he revealed what it is he “admires” most about him.
“He is a very classy man,” Joshua Bassett began. “He’s also very well-rounded and kinda does it all – acting, singing, fashion.
“I think he’s just a nice guy, doesn’t say too much, when he talks, it matters. He’s just cool – who doesn’t think Harry Styles is cool?
“Also, he’s hot, you know? He’s very charming, too. Lots of things.
“This is also my coming out video, I guess.”
The way the Dirty John star so casually appeared to come out as a member of the LGBT+ community drew applause and awe online, with the sentiment very much being that the kids are alright.
coming out doesn’t always have to be this big thing. me and my friends all are unlabeled but we all told eachother in the most casual way so the ppl in the quotes need to chill. bi men exist too you know. https://t.co/R44kHHn3eM
— nat (@goIdntemptress) May 10, 2021
If this is indeed a ~coming out~ I’m so glad to see the younger generation being very 🤷🏽♂️ about sexuality bc I did the whole ~locking myself in my bedroom not eating properly for weeks~ thing when I was 15 and it wasn’t fun actually! https://t.co/FHx9o61SBR
— not again ben (@NotAgainBen) May 10, 2021
gen-z being so comfortable in and casual about their sexuality is such a beautiful development https://t.co/VAkSfQnAfY
— Amal (@amalrussell) May 10, 2021
I like that he just didn’t care and didn’t make a huge deal. https://t.co/abNt9SOYDB
— Venus Flytrap 🧜🏼♀️ 🎃 (@venus__flytrap1) May 10, 2021
if you’re saying this isn’t coming out shut up !!! coming out doesn’t have to be huge or anything each persons comfort level is different so just because you wouldnt be comfortable coming out like this does not mean it is not a coming out video https://t.co/uewpbAm2Fa
— maya/buck (@1918BUCKLEY) May 10, 2021
Generation Z, those born between 1997 and 2002, has very much broken away from and binned binary notions of gender and sexuality. One in six adult members of Generation Z say they are LGBT+, according to survey data from Gallup, one of the top pollsters in America.
And that figure will likely be higher in years to come, Gallup bosses stressed, considering that they were only able to survey the oldest bloc of Generation Z, or those currently aged between 18 and 23.
“As we see more Gen Z become adults, we may see that number go up,” Gallup senior editor Jeff Jones told The Washington Post.
“The vast majority of Generation Z adults who identify as LGBT+ – 72 per cent – say they are bisexual,” Jones wrote in a report announcing the results in February.
“Thus, 11.5 per cent of all Gen Z adults in the US say they are bisexual, with about two per cent each identifying as gay, lesbian or transgender.”
Generation Z being so emboldened to live their truths comes at a time where acceptance for LGBT+ folk is soaring in the States – as is the number of people overall who say they are not heterosexual and/or cisgender.
Of the more than 15,000 Americans interviewed by survey takers in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, 5.6 per cent said they are LGBT+.
