Joshua Bassett She is speaking out against the negative effects of doubting survivors of sexual assault.

The High School Musical: The Musical SeriesIn a recent interview, actor spoke out about his experiences with sexual assault in childhood and teen years. GQ. He shared that he recently remembered the childhood abuse, saying, “I buried it so far.”

A 20-year-old told me that an older man had abused me as a teenager, but I couldn’t see it then.

Joshua said that he felt ready to discuss this trauma because it will “hopefully help people who are experiencing that.” 

However, the celebrity has been met with criticism on social media. One Twitter user wrote, “Men cannot be raped, it’s just an fact. Don’t be a man that claims to have been raped. Get a dress.

Joshua reposted this remark on his Instagram Story in the hopes of educating people on the harm that these comments can inflict.

He said, “And we wonder why people don’t come up,” adding that his personal experience began when he was five years old.