At some point, we must all come to terms with our own mortality, and the 20th anniversary of the Disney Channel original movie High School Musical is making me confront just that. On January 20, 2006, I was but a wee middle school student, watching the first movie with my cousin and older sister, trying to learn the moves (from the creative genius Kenny Ortega, who directed and choreographed the HSM films) to “We’re All in This Together."
Now, two decades later, the queer subtext (that I'm mostly reading into) has made itself known to me after multiple rewatches. This being a Disney Channel Original Movie in the early 2000s means that gay people don't exist in this universe (at least they're not out), but queerness can only exist between the lines of lyrics and storylines for so long. So many of these characters — in my eyes — are performing heteronormative gender roles because of the excruciatingly uncomfortable experience of discovering oneself in high school. Growing up, my friends and I have joked about which characters are gay and what some of the songs are actually saying, so now I present those theories to you.
The character who was most obviously gay is Sharpay's (Ashley Tisdale-French) brother, Ryan (Lucas Grabeel), and his queerness extends beyond his love for theater and fashion, which I'll get into. But he (and his songs with Sharpay) aren't the only ones with subtext to read into.
So, without further ado, here are the gayest songs from the High School Musical film trilogy, ranked according to shipping, spectacle, and my reading of the franchise's queer subtext.
11. "Stick to the Status Quo"
"Stick to the Status Quo" is at the bottom of this ranking, because it’s the most earnestly queer song in the franchise. From the beginning, the High School Musical universe has been screaming at us that gay people are lurking among us.
In this song, viewers were told that these kids are not like the rest of the group, because they’re different and don’t conform to society’s standards of acceptability. To hell with that, they say in unison. If Zeke (Chris Warren Jr.) wants to flambé his crème brûlée and pretend to be straight, let him! If Martha (Kaycee Stroh) thinks she’s fooling people into believing she’s straight with her outfit, so be it!
I see right through this song, and I believe a large portion of the audience did too. These kids are revolting against society’s oppressive heteronormative structure and letting their freak fag (I mean flag) fly!
10. "Just Wanna Be With You"
Two closeted queer people, Ryan and Kelsi Nielsen (Olesya Rulina) flirting with one another, performing the aforementioned heteronormative gender roles. It's clear these two characters have never had any chemistry, and it's because they're both gay but haven’t said it to themselves yet. If Ryan’s fuck-ass fedora hasn’t given it away yet by the third movie, they’ll both find out soon enough when they go to college.
9. "Scream"
Classic case of battling your internalized homophobia to accept yourself fully. It's OK, baby, we've all been there. “The day the doors close, the echoes fill your soul, they won’t say which way to go, just trust your heart.”
Bi and pan people exist, Troy (Zac Efron)! You don’t have to pick one or the other; you can have it all, like Ryan and Sharpay. What you lack in clarity, you make up for in opportunity. You’re the most popular guy in school; you have the pick of the litter. Try it all, see what you like, and what you don’t. That’s one of life’s simple pleasures — you never have to be just one thing.
8. "Get'cha Head in the Game"
There's an obvious joke to make here, but I won't. Also let's all remember that all of these actors are at least 20-something and above — and we're all adults now, it's OK.
If we’re looking at this franchise as a Greek comedy (the argument could be made to categorize it as a tragedy — open your third eye), the basketball team could be seen as the Greek chorus telling Troy to stop thinking about basketball and start thinking about a different type of ball. If you’re thinking about this scene as deeply as me, the basketball team could be an ironic, artistic choice.
7. "Fabulous"
Sharpay is a diva, need I say more? If you weren't gay before hearing this song for the first time, you'll definitely come to terms with your sexuality after — men, women, nonbinary, and everything in between. Who can fight against the infectious musical stylings of Ms. Evans?
6. "Bet On It"
For the same reason "Scream" is on this list. Every gay person battles their own inner thoughts when it comes to figuring out your sexuality. Troy is figuring out who he is, and today is that day.
5. "I Want It All"
Only the bitchiest gays would get upset at Oprah calling. I'm answering that phone as if my life depends on it. The production value really stepped up in the third movie, and this number was the prime example of such. As the choreographer of the group, Ryan (well, actually Mr. Ortega) put his whole foot in this number and the spectacle this was, how could you not see that this was the gayest thing that's ever happened to this franchise?
4. "You Are the Music in Me"
Kelsi, our closeted lesbian, starts off singing by herself as Gabriella, her secret crush, and the two steal a mild-mannered, yet purposeful glance at one another, smirking. Gabriella joins in and sings the harmony as Troy watches on like a you know what. He sheepishly joins in on the song with his girlfriend, and Kelsi bows out as the song reaches full swing, continuing to yearn for her girl crush that never gets to be actualized because of Troy.
3. "Breaking Free"
I’d argue that is the gayest song in the HSM universe. “We’re soaring, we’re flying, there’s not a star in heaven that we can’t reach,” that’s them obviously talking about how amazing the world would be if they could come out and truly accept their queerness. I saw it from the start.
2. "I Don't Dance"
You clicked this article thinking this song would be at the top, but I decided to throw you a curveball. “I Don't Dance" is undeniably gay. The romantic tension between Ryan and Chad (Corbin Bleu) is palpable, and it's ripe for fan fiction. They playfully tease one another, representing two sides of the same group — Chad, the unofficial leader of the jocks, and Ryan, son of the country club's owner — going back and forth, taunting one another. It's delicious.
Some of the lyrics imply that Chad may be suppressing his emotions (maybe for Ryan): "I wanna play ball now, and that's all / This is what I do / It ain't no dance that you can show me." Ryan responds, saying, "You'll never know if you never try," and Chad shoots back, "There's just one little thing that stops me every time." GAY!!!!! It goes on, when Chad slyly says, "I'll show you how I swing," an obvious innuendo (to me and thousands of other crazed fans) about Chad's bisexuality — swinging both ways, playing sports and dancing, men and women, it's all the same.
This theory is supported by the fact that at the end of the scene, after the Newsies-esque dance break, the characters are seen having swapped outfits (a last-minute suggestion from Ortega) and thus, a ship — an online term meaning to imagine or wish two characters together — was born.
1. "Gotta Go My Own Way"
OK, you guys actually weren't listening to this song like I was. "I gotta say what's on my mind, something about us doesn't seem right these days," an exasperated Gabriella sings to Troy before getting to the chorus where she sings, "I've got to move on and be who I am, I just don't belong here, I hope you understand. We might find our place in the world someday, but at least for now, I gotta go my own way."
I don't know about you, but the lyrics read clear as day to me. Gabriella is coming to terms with her queerness and knows that her relationship with Troy is holding her back, so she has to cut him off to finally live her life as openly as she wants to. Troy, still not ready to accept who he is (gay, bisexual, pan, what have you), sees that his beard is slipping away from him and he's not ready to lose it just yet.
