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Kevin Spacey has swiftly responded to claims he sexually assaulted a 14-year-old over three decades ago.
Star Trek: Discovery actor Anthony Rapp has accused a drunken, then-26-year-old Spacey of sexually assaulting him when he was just 14-years-old. The pair – would had met on Broadway – were at a house party in Spacey’s apartment in 1986 when the House Of Cards actor allegedly “placed [the teenager] on his bed and climbed on top of him, making a sexual advance.”
Rapp said he felt compelled to come forward given sexual misdemeanours and abuse in the entertainment industry is now at the forefront of the social agenda. “And not to simply air a grievance,” Rapp said. “But to try to shine another light on the decades of behavior that have been allowed to continue because many people, including myself, being silent. I’m feeling really awake to the moment that we’re living in, and I’m hopeful that this can make a difference.”
Spacey, now 58-years-old, has released a dramatic statement via Twitter and in his apology, he has used this moment to simultaneously address his sexuality. “I have a lot of respect and admiration for Anthony Rapp as an actor. I’m beyond horrified to hear his story,” it reads. “I honestly do not remember the encounter, it would have been over 30 years ago. But if I did behave then as he describes, I owe him the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behaviour, and I am sorry for the feelings he describes having carried with him all these years.”
“This story has encouraged me to address other things about my life,” he continues”. I know that there are stories out there about me and that some have been fuelled by the fact that I have been so protective of my privacy. As those closest to me know, in my life I have 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. I want to deal with this honestly and openly and that starts with examining my own behaviour.”
More to come. In the interim, leave your thoughts below. Is Spacey, by announcing he is coming out, deflecting from the sexual allegations?
