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That turned out to be unnecessary, because when he was 16, an acting manager friend of his oldest sister suggested that he give acting a try. When Bassett imagined growing up, he saw himself majoring in directing and scoring movies at USC. The single he released a week later, “Lie Lie Lie,” in which he sang about his reputation and false narratives, only added to the gossip, even though the song had been written months prior. 1 on the Billboard charts for eight weeks-the lyrics of which revolve around a recent breakup, online speculation instantly focused on Bassett, who many fans already believed to be dating Rodrigo. When his HSMTMTS costar Olivia Rodrigo released the hugely popular single “Drivers License”-it’s racked up over 1 billion streams since January 8 and sat at No.
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But Bassett has also found himself at the center of entertainment news in the past few months for other reasons.
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The fan attention isn’t surprising-after all, High School Musical is a major Disney franchise that has, in earlier iterations, produced stars like Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens. Bassett jokes that he can’t wait to see our private lunch pieced together in video form, all over TikTok. "We're chilling," he says, as the fans move away and we watch their matching tiny backpacks dissolve down the street. "I have a sixth sense for that now," he says, while kindly smiling at two other teenagers who are shooting video with a hot pink iPhone covered in stickers. It only takes a few minutes before a collection of young women clocks him from outside and peers through the small, discreet window in front of us. "I love your pin," he says, complimenting a waiter on the small rainbow peeking out of her apron. But only if you pretend.Joshua Bassett, the 20-year-old singer and star of Disney’s High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, is sitting at a West Village restaurant in a light purple shirt, charming anyone and everyone who comes his way. The central plea of pretty much any group protesting for their identity is a simple one, “Can we just… live?”Īnd the answer back then was pretty consistent: “Yes. It was very common in Victorian society for homosexual couples to live that way.” “Homosexuality was illegal,” he points out, “but the police would often turn a blind eye as long as one of the parties dressed and lived convincingly as the opposite gender.
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Mark Lord, the Head Beadle at the arcade, explains that dressing as the opposite sex was not necessarily a sign of the person being transgender, but a survival tactic for gay men - and alternative to simply pretending to be heterosexual. Why, in a time that was so wretchedly difficult for women, would a man choose to live as a female? When a doctor came to pronounce her dead, she was discovered to be biologically male. Madame Parsons died on the premises of Burlington Arcade in the 1860s. The simple innuendo of it would be enough to cause a scandal. Men feared being seen there at certain times, lest the rumours get back to their wives. Nothing as coarse as money changed hands.īut nevertheless, the arcade gained a seedy reputation simply because the services were there. He would then give her the item as a “show of appreciation”, and she would then come downstairs and sell it back to the shop. The punter would purchase an item - perhaps a hat or a brooch - and make a discreet comment about heading to the upper floor. Our journalists cover all the news you need - from City Hall to your local streets, so you'll never miss a moment.ĭon't skip a beat and sign up to The 12 newsletter here. The MyLondon team tells London stories for Londoners. You'll get 12 stories straight to your inbox at around 12pm. MyLondon's brilliant newsletter The 12 is absolutely jam packed with all the latest to keep you keep you entertained, informed and uplifted. Do you want to stay up to date with the latest news, views, features and opinion from across the city?