Joshua Bassett reflected on his recent coming out journey during an appearance on the Zach Sang Show.
Earlier this year, Bassett made headlines when he came out as queer in a heartfelt social media post.
In the powerful statement, told fans that it was “okay to still be figuring out who you are” while also opening up about his own identity.
“My entire life people have told me my sexuality,” the star wrote.
“People have shamed me for things they know nothing about. I want to say thank you to those of you who stand for love and acceptance. Toxicity, hatred, and negativity say less about the subject, but say for more about those who spew it.
“It’s 2021. We are the generation of love and growth, it’s time we start acting like it. Whether you love me, hate me, or damn me to hell, I love you all the same. Love who you love shamelessly. It’s okay to still be figuring out who you are.”
During his latest interview with Zach, Bassett revealed how his team reacted to his inspirational coming out post.
“Two months later the interview is trending number one on Twitter. My entire team is texting and calling me saying, ‘What are we going to do? This is a crisis, we have to figure this out,’ and there’s all this panic,” he explained.
“I remember I was at such a place at that moment where I was like ‘Hold on. It’s OK, we’re going to turn this around. This isn’t the end of the world, this is OK.’
“It could have been the end of the world for me but it was like… I don’t really have anything to hide here and this isn’t something that needs to be the end of the world.”
He went on to say that after coming out he felt “relieved” due to hiding his sexuality for “15-plus years.”
Later in the interview, Bassett gave further insight into the traumatic sexual abuse he experienced as a child and teenager.
“It started when I was about five and it was domestic. This person told me ‘You can’t tell anybody,’ so I’m thinking, if I tell anyone I’m gonna get in trouble,” he explained.
Bassett then opened up about being groomed in high school by his second abuser at the age of 13.
“When I was about 13 or 14 this much older guy, who was one of my close friends, started grooming me and it started becoming something else. I didn’t really fully understand what was wrong,” he revealed.
The 21-year-old went on to say that after he told his second abuser about his previous experience he was brushed off.
“His reaction was like, ‘Ew, what the hell, that’s disgusting. Why would you tell me that? It’s so embarrassing. That’s gross, why would you tell me that.’
“He was the first person I had told. That was the first time I remembered, I pushed it all away again, and then last year it came back.”
Bassett also told Zach that he’s currently processing his trauma and revealed that he still “bursts into tears” when thinking about the abuse.
“When you’re able to see the outside version of you who was being abused then you’re able to see that that person didn’t deserve that,” he said.
Despite how traumatising his experience was, Bassett is ready to help people who have faced similar experiences on his upcoming podcast.
In a previous interview with GQ, he said the project is something he wish he had as a kid.
Watch his full interview below or by clicking here.
Galop is an LGBTQ+ charity there for those who have experienced abuse or have been the victim of a hate crime. They can be contacted Monday to Friday from 10am-4pm on 0207 7042040 or at HateCrime@galop.org.uk. You can find out more about them here.
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