- After being accused of sexually assaulting actor Anthony Rapp in 1986, when Rapp was 14 years old, actor Kevin Spacey issued an apology in which he came out as gay. Spacey blamed drunkenness for his actions. There had been rumors that Spacey was gay for years, but he had never come out, and kept his personal life very private. Many people are upset that Spacey used his apology as an opportunity to come out.
Actor Kevin Spacey (“House of Cards”) came out as gay on Sunday night. He delivered the news on Twitter in an apology to actor Anthony Rapp, who accused Spacey, now 58, of making a sexual advance on him in 1986, when Rapp was 14 years old.
Here’s Spacey’s apology:
— Kevin Spacey (@KevinSpacey) October 30, 2017
The fact that Spacey used his apology as an opportunity to finally come out (there had been rumors for years, just no confirmation since Spacey is a very private person), has upset a lot of people. Rapp said that the alleged incident, which happened when he was a minor, deeply affected him. And some people felt that Spacey’s apology tried to shift the narrative away from Rapp, and that Spacey’s excuse for his behavior (drunkenness) was nowhere close to sufficient.
"You do not get to 'choose' to hide under the rainbow," comedian Wanda Sykes tweeted.
On Monday morning, Sarah Kate Ellis, the president and CEO of GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) said, "Coming-out stories should not be used to deflect from allegations of sexual assault. This is not a coming-out story about Kevin Spacey, but a story of survivorship by Anthony Rapp and all those who bravely speak out against unwanted sexual advances."
Here are some of the ways people are reacting to Spacey's apology on Twitter:
— Zachary Quinto (@ZacharyQuinto) October 30, 2017
That Kevin Spacey statement. Nope. Absolutely not. Nope.
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) October 30, 2017
https://twitter.com/rosemcgowan/status/924866515140268032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
It took 58 years for Kevin Spacey to cash in his gay out of jail free card.
— Michael Knowles (@michaeljknowles) October 30, 2017
"Sure, I may have tried to rape a 14-year-old boy when I was 26, but I'm gay!" is a pretty horrible defense. #Spacey
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) October 30, 2017
Just wanna be really fucking clear that being gay has nothing to do w/ going after underage folks
— Cameron Esposito (@cameronesposito) October 30, 2017
Nope to Kevin Spacey's statement. Nope. There's no amount of drunk or closeted that excuses or explains away assaulting a 14-year-old child.
— Dan Savage (@fakedansavage) October 30, 2017
I keep rereading this statement and getting angrier. Coming out is a beautiful part of being gay. Attaching it to this vileness is so wrong.
— Mark Harris (@MarkHarrisNYC) October 30, 2017
No no no no no! You do not get to “choose” to hide under the rainbow! Kick rocks! https://t.co/xJDGAxDjxz
— Wanda Sykes (@iamwandasykes) October 30, 2017