Kevin Spacey Accused of Sexual Misconduct, Confirms Rumors He Is Gay

[+ WilliamM]

From the BuzzFeed article, around 1990 Rapp talked about his encounter with Spacey with a former boyfriend :

 

 

"As Spacey's career blossomed, Rapp could no longer pretend like he didn't exist. He cannot recall precisely the first person he told about his experience, but he knows he started around the time he costarred in the 1990–92 Broadway production of Six Degrees of Separation, the same season Spacey gave his Tony-winning performance in Lost in Yonkers. (One of Rapp's former boyfriends confirmed to BuzzFeed News that the actor shared his experience with Spacey around 1990, when they were both 18. Another friend, actor Erin Quill, confirmed Rapp first told her about Spacey around 1992. And five other friends of Rapp’s have confirmed that they’ve heard the story from him through the 1990s and 2000s as well. Rapp and I have been friends since 1999, but he only shared the allegations with me in recent weeks.)

 

The full weight of what Spacey’s success would mean for Rapp finally hit him while he was shooting the 1993 feature film version of Six Degrees. One day at lunch, Rapp looked over to see Spacey sitting just a few tables away, visiting someone he knew. Once again, Rapp froze. Once again, he said his mind raced with the question, “What am I supposed to fucking do here?”"

Edited October 30, 2017 by WilliamM

[jjkrkwood]

It was undoubtedly irresponsible for Spacey to link comments about the alleged abuse with his coming out as GAY, playing into the stigma and false connection between Homosexuality and pedophilia. However, aside from that, its hearsay and nothing has been proven. So I'll reserve guilt for later....

[+ sniper]

Based on Spacey's reply there's not really much likelihood that it didn't happen. The standards for thinking he did it are not the same as the standards for criminal conviction in a court of law. Nothing will be "proven" to that standard. What evidence is there of something like that? All we know is Rapp did apparently tell the story to several other people over the years, all of whom have confirmed that he told them this. Is it POSSIBLE he made the whole thing up? Well, yes, it's POSSIBLE. Is it likely? Hell to the no.

[Moondance]

The standards for thinking he did it are not the same as the standards for criminal conviction in a court of law.

Nothing beats proof for confirming an opinion, but -- even in a court of law -- that's not always available. In that circumstance, what is or isn't "beyond a reasonable doubt" is determined by considerations of believability, credibility, logic.

 

Usually the need to bring those tools in to play begins with the accused denying an allegation. But in this case, there is no denial. Instead, there's an apology.

 

Wouldn't be my approach if I was accused of putting the moves on a 14-year-old boy when I was a 26-or-27-year-old man. I'd know damn well I wouldn't have done it and my denial would be loud and absolute. But that's just me.

[marylander1940]

They apparently are BOTH very private people, so this drama should have remained private. Rapp shold have contacted Spacey privately to discuss his recollections and concerns. Something is just "fishy" here. Perhaps Rapp has a new work coming out soon, and needs a bit of hype ?

Cynical YES, but to be discounted, NO !

 

or maybe now that we're talking about this subject Rapp and so many other women decided it was time to "come-out" and talk about it.

 

Let's give folks the benefit of the doubt, as you did on your statement.

[Trick]

Anthony Rapp starred in an old SVU episode about a university that tried to hide the abuse of students by its professors. I remember liking his nuanced portrayal of his character. Now I know where he drew his inspiration from.

[jjkrkwood]

Of course if he's guilty he should face consequences, even if it's being shunned by the Hollywood community, just as Roman Polanski was. But time is a healer, and that same community is coming around and re-embracing Polanski all these years later. People forget and move on.... until a new case surfaces to talk about.... Circle of Life ?

[+ ArVaGuy]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/celebrity/glaad-rips-kevin-spacey-for-coming-out-to-deflect-from-allegations-of-sexual-assault/ar-AAueD5i?li=BBnb7Kz

 

GLAAD rips Kevin Spacey.

[caliguy]

Based on Spacey's reply there's not really much likelihood that it didn't happen. The standards for thinking he did it are not the same as the standards for criminal conviction in a court of law. Nothing will be "proven" to that standard. What evidence is there of something like that? All we know is Rapp did apparently tell the story to several other people over the years, all of whom have confirmed that he told them this. Is it POSSIBLE he made the whole thing up? Well, yes, it's POSSIBLE. Is it likely? Hell to the no.

Now the stories of him going after kids are flooding in. Apparently this was not an isolated incident. He's addicted to underage dick. The Family guy even made it into a parody many years ago.

[Whitman]

"I am sorry that Kevin only saw fit to acknowledge his truth when he thought it would serve him -- just as his denial served him for so many years."

-- Zachary Quinto

[Phil_musc]

If anything, Mr. Rapp's allegations should make parents think a little more about what situations their kids might be putting themselves into. Didn't anyone think it odd that Rapp at 14 was going to party thrown by a 26 year old man? Doesn't anyone ask questions any more, like, "Hello Mr. Spacey. I understand you've invited my son to a party you're having. Who else is coming? Will he be the only minor present? What kind of activities are planned? When will the evening be over?" Furthermore, if Anthony managed to get to the party and then found that he was the only minor present and then became bored, why didn't he just leave? Instead, he stayed until after midnight, when all the other guests had left. Huh?

 

So why come forward now after the statute of limitations has expired? No witnesses. No real rape of any sort. What is going on here really? Does Anthony think that Spacey is some kind of ongoing predator and is hoping that others may come forward with their own sorry stories now that he has told his? What is the remedy here, given that no legal trial is possible.

 

{After I read and posted, I saw the intervening posts. Ok, that casts a different light on the scene.}

[Whitman]

"Men who improperly harass or assault do not do so because they are gay or straight — that is a deflection."

— George Takei

[Whitman]

"I'm sorry, Mr. Spacey, but your application to join the gay community at this time has been denied."

 

— Dan Savage

[+ stevenkesslar]

Spacey makes a statement that plays right into the thinking of homophobes and to their long history of raising the specters of pedophilia or predation whenever gay men get a little too "tolerated" for their comfort.

 

So, this morning, some idiot who thinks less of you or me because we're gay, can turn to some other idiot and say, "You see, our kids aren't safe around them."

 

Actually, I'd go the other way on this one. I note about a dozen people already "liked" this comment. And I don't disagree with you, Whitman. Rapp is the victim, and Spacey is no hero for having the "courage" to come out as Gay under such circumstances.

 

Spacey now joins a long list of closeted men that we learned were Gay only because we learned they were doing pervy things at the same time. Former Republican House Speaker Denny Hastert. Former Republican Senator Larry Craig. And how many pedophile priests can you name?

 

I don't think Spacey's coming out suggests a causal link between being Gay and child sex abuse. The nice thing about Rapp stepping forward in relation to the Weinstein scandal - I assume that's why he chose now to do it - is that it makes it that much more clear there's a causal relationship between being male and child sexual abuse. It doesn't matter if you are Gay or Straight. Men tend to be the ones who are sexual predators.

 

 

It is a very positive sign of the times that the initial outcry isn't from conservative groups saying that the problem is that Spacey is Gay. The initial outcry is from groups like GLAAD saying that the problem is not that Spacey is Gay.

 

We can hope that may mean that people have learned, or are learning, that sexual orientation is not the cause of sexual abuse. If anything, the fact that people like Spacey had two things to hide - his sexual orientation, and his pattern of sexual abuse - probably just put more pressure on both him and his victims to keep this under wraps.

 

I think Rapp has done the LGBTQ community a real service by coming forward when he did, and how he did. Yes, there may be bigots who choose to take this the wrong way. But it also has the opportunity to be a Rock Hudson moment - meaning a moment in which people might have a more empathetic view of our community.

 

In this case, of course, I am arguing that Rapp is the Hudson-like figure, not Spacey. But whatever you thought about Hudson picking up Gay hookers on Sunset Blvd., his story probably helped create more empathy for AIDS victims, and for Gays. Rapp's courageous statement could help do the same.

 

As an aside, there was a little bit of this in the really long article Mike Carey posted in the politics section on John Boehner. Boehner mentioned that to him and his wife, Denny Hastert's sex abuse problems came as a complete surprise. Boehner mentioned that Hastert seemed like a nice guy, and the only weird thing Boehner and his wife had noticed is that it was odd that Hastert's wife never came to Washington, and Hastert had an unusually high percentage of Gay staffers in his office.

 

My point is that there is nothing new about closeted Gay guys like Hastert who prey on boys. And sexually predatory behavior is not about to go away. The really good thing about these revelations is it will make it that much easier to call it out, and for future victims to come forward. Hopefully it will also help people to understand why it doesn't help to blame or shame the victim, be they Gay or Straight.

Edited October 30, 2017 by stevenkesslar

[+ WilliamM]

I know it's unfair to just point to critical twitter comments, but not much else yet:

 

* Dan Savage: ''There's no amount of drunk or closeted that excuses or explains away assaulting a 14-year-old child.''

 

* Billy Eichner: ''Kevin Spacey has just invented something that has never existed before: a bad time to come out.''

 

* Frank Rich: ''This is changing the subject. Rapp's charge is pedophilia.''

 

* Ben Shapiro: "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.

[caliguy]

 

* Ben Shapiro: "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.

I'm surprise Shapiro wasn't jumping on this as an example with his history.

[+ stevenkesslar]

Of course, let's not forget that Spacey also apologized by way of describing this as "inappropriate drunken behavior."

 

http://68.media.tumblr.com/b6c3d3c99dcf17cd1ccc701a8cff4119/tumblr_mvl9yiS89M1raxgu1o1_1280.jpg

 

He could have stopped there, and blamed it solely on the alcohol.

 

Usually, alcohol, drugs, and firearms are the list of usual suspects.

 

I'm sure the entire alcohol industry feels like they've been let off the hook.

[rogerG]

Looks like Spacey's career is over. Nobody will want to be associated with him now. Can only imagine the men who will come forward soon to out all the gay predators in business. If this truly is a watershed moment, the shit will hit the fan. Corey Feldman is very close to going public on Hollywood's pedophilia ring. Nobody is going to ignore him now.

[caliguy]

Looks like Spacey's career is over. Nobody will want to be associated with him now. Can only imagine the men who will come forward soon to out all the gay predators in business. If this truly is a watershed moment, the shit will hit the fan. Corey Feldman is very close to going public on Hollywood's pedophilia ring. Nobody is going to ignore him now.

Am I wrong for just wanting him to do a few more seasons of House of Cards though. Plus, this would be so in line with Frank Underwood's character. It's my guilty pleasure.

[LoveNDino]

Looks like Spacey's career is over. Nobody will want to be associated with him now. Can only imagine the men who will come forward soon to out all the gay predators in business. If this truly is a watershed moment, the shit will hit the fan. Corey Feldman is very close to going public on Hollywood's pedophilia ring. Nobody is going to ignore him now.

I do wish that Corey Feldman would just go to the police or hire a lawyer. I'm not sure why he needs a reported $10 million for a documentary.

[Whitman]

Am I wrong for just wanting him to do a few more seasons of House of Cards though. Plus, this would be so in line with Frank Underwood's character. It's my guilty pleasure.

The sixth season of “House of Cards” will be its last.

 

The news, first reported Monday by TVLine, comes amid an allegation of sexual misconduct by star Kevin Spacey.

 

The final season of the Emmy Award-winning Netflix political drama will premiere in 2018, according to TVLine.

 

A Netflix spokeswoman confirmed the news of the show coming to an end...

 

Netflix and TV studio Media Rights Capital said in a joint statement on Monday that they are "deeply troubled by last night’s news concerning Kevin Spacey."

 

In response to the revelations from Rapp, the companies said, "executives from both of our companies arrived in Baltimore this afternoon to meet with our cast and crew to ensure that they continue to feel safe and supported. As previously scheduled, Kevin Spacey is not working on set at this time.”

 

Source: thehill.com, 3:54pm, 10/30/17

[MassageAdam]

Men tend to be the ones who are sexual predators.

Ummm, have you read the numerous articles of older females (a lot of them teachers) screwing their underage male students? I have read a ton. I think when the females are the perps, it is way under reported....

[+ stevenkesslar]

Ummm, have you read the numerous articles of older females (a lot of them teachers) screwing their underage male students? I have read a ton. I think when the females are the perps, it is way under reported....

 

That could be. There is no shortage of stories about females harassing males. In 100 years, if we have a society where the average woman is as powerful as the average male, it could be that we'll learn that it has little to do with gender, and everything to do with the willingness of some humans to use their power to take advantage of others sexually.

 

In the world that we actually live in, this is not the case. According to that chart, it is men over 9 times out of 10. My main point is that even if it is overwhelmingly men, it has nothing to do with sexual orientation. And it would be a nice touch right now if some man outed a powerful woman who sexually abused him - just to make that point, too.

 

By the way, I checked and I could not find a source for that chart I posted. So I'm not 100 % sure it is over 90 % male. But even if that is true, I'm glad you made the point. Woman are perfectly capable of being jerks, too.

 

Just ask Cate Blanchett.

 

Edited October 30, 2017 by stevenkesslar

[+ nycman]

I'm still not EXACTLY certain what happened over 30 years ago.....

 

The best I can make out so far.....

 

A minor was alone at an adult party.....ok, not appropriate.

 

The minor goes and climbs into the bed of the young adult who was hosting the party.....hmmm

 

The young adult comes to bed after midnight after everyone else has left the party....

This is the only part of the entire story that sounds even remotely "normal" to me.

 

The young adult carries the minor across the threshold "like a groom carries a bride".....hmmmmm

How did we get from a bored minor watching TV in bed....to being carried across the threshold like a bride?....I'm confused.

 

The young adult allegedly lays on top of the minor....ok, not appropriate.

 

The minor "was aware that he was trying to get with me sexually"......what the hell does that even mean? But, ok....not appropriate.

 

I don't doubt that Mr. Rapp has believed for over 30 years that something inappropriate happened between him and Mr. Spacey.

 

But it's all pretty vague and 30 years too late in my book.

 

If it's true...I doubt this is an isolated incident....time will tell.

[+ Avalon]

I thought that I was only aware of Rapp in the new Star Trek series. But he was in "Adventures of Babysitting"

 

http://rockyrama.com/uploads/img/news/128-fight-club-community-family-guy-ferris-bueller-a-30-ans-et-de-nombreux-heritiers/content/6938/big-6590_1.jpg

 

That movie caused me to always wait until after the final credits role before I leave.