According to Kenny Ortega, he felt Disney might not have been ready to “cross that line” and feature an openly gay character in High School Musical, aimed at young viewers.
He even shared that they decided that Ryan was “probably going to come out in college,” and High School Musical was more about “letting his true colors come forward” than coming out of the closet.
As any HSM fan can attest, that didn’t stop Ortega from including hints to Ryan’s sexuality, which the director has now made official.