Ending decades of speculation that he was gay, actor Kevin Spacey has finally come out of the closet amidst accusations he made sexual advances against Star Trek: Discovery actor Anthony Rapp when he was a teen.
Spacey apologized on Twitter but said he could not recall the incident from 31 years ago.
“If I did behave in the way he describes, I owe him the sincerest apology, for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior,” Spacey tweeted.
— Kevin Spacey (@KevinSpacey) October 30, 2017
Rapp said the incident happened in 1986 when he was 14 and Spacey was 26.
Faced with this allegation, Spacey used the opportunity to admit that he was, indeed, gay – but private — resulting in immediate backlash from the LGBT community.
“I know that there are stories out there about me and some have been fueled by the fact that I have been so protective of my privacy. As those closest to me know, in my life I’ve had relationships with both men and women. I have loved and had romantic encounters with men throughout my life, and I choose now to live as a gay man.”
Twitter immediately reacted:
“No, Kevin Spacey. You don’t get to use your sexuality as a distraction from sexual assault. You just threw the gay community under the bus,” tweeted #ThePersistence.
No, Kevin Spacey. You don’t get to use your sexuality as a distraction from sexual assault. You just threw the gay community under the bus. — #ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) October 30, 2017
Comedian Wanda Sykes tweeted, “No, no, no, no, no! You do not get to “choose” to hide under the rainbow! Kick rocks!
No no no no no! You do not get to “choose” to hide under the rainbow! Kick rocks! https://t.co/xJDGAxDjxz
— Official Wanda Sykes (@iamwandasykes) October 30, 2017
