High School Musical’s Ryan confirmed to be gay in Disney Plus series
After 17 years of speculation (!), the sexuality of High School Musical character Ryan Evans has finally been confirmed. Played by Lucas Grabeel, the camp, theatre-obsessed twin brother of gay icon Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale) never came out in the original trilogy, although fans and stars of the series have long accepted that he’s the ‘G’ in ‘LGBTQ’.
In the final season of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, however, Ryan’s queerness becomes canon. A season four preview shows the original cast return to East High as themselves to film a fourth film in the franchise (it’s all very meta!).
This includes Grabeel, Corbin Bleu as Chad Danforth, Monique Coleman as Taylor McKessie, Kaycee Stroh as Martha Cox, Alyson Reed as Ms Darbus and Bart Johnson as Coach Bolton.
After Ryan, Chad, Taylor and Martha perform on stage, where Taylor reveals that she’s now the principal of East High School, Ryan approaches his partner (played by Pentatonix star Scott Hoying) and the two share a kiss. “This means so much to me that you are here,” says Ryan, with Hoying’s character responding: “I love you.” Additionally, the absence of Tisdale, as well as Zac Efron as Troy Bolton and Vanessa Hudgens as Gabriella Montez, is explained during a quick exchange between Coach Bolton and Martha. “Have you seen Sharpay, Troy or Gabriella?” asks Coach, to which Martha reveals: “Not yet, Coach.
