Gay Hollywood Slams Kevin Spacey, Stands Up for Anthony Rapp

Lena Finkel
Posted by Lena Finkel October 31, 2017

You probably know by now that Kevin Spacey once tried to force himself on younger actor Anthony Rapp, when he was only 14 years old.

And when Anthony told his story to Buzzfeed, Kevin had the worst response:

He didn’t remember the incident, but if it did indeed happen, it’s only because he’s gay.

We’re paraphrasing, but you can read Kevin’s entire statement (posted to Twitter), below:

Obviously, this is a horrible way to come out. To use your identity to explain pedophilia just confirms the worst myths that homophobes have been pedaling for years: that gay men can’t be teachers, boy scout leaders, can’t be around any children at all because they’re perverts.

The world reacted with rage, and rightfully so. Perhaps the most powerful statement came from GLAAD CEO Sarah Kate Ellis, who 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. The media and public should not gloss over that.”

Beloved actor and activist George Takei also spoke out and told THR,

“When power is used in a non-consensual situation, it is wrong. For Anthony Rapp, he has had to live with the memory of this experience of decades ago. For Kevin Spacey, who claims not to remember the incident, he was the older, dominant one who had his way. Men who improperly harass or assault do not do so because they are gay or straight — that is a deflection. They do so because they have the power, and they chose to abuse it.”

Other prominent gay members of the community had equally strong condemnations of Spacey. Read a few of their responses below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Lena Finkel
Lena Finkel
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Lena Finkel is the Editor and Founder of Femestella and The Feminist Health Source. Prior to starting Femestella, she worked at People, InStyle, Tiger Beat, and Sesame Workshop (aka Sesame Street). She loves all things Real Housewives and The Challenge. When she's not busy binge-watching TV, you can find her taking an absurd amount of photos of her tuxedo cat Tom.