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
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
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