Whether you tweet up a storm daily or are a Netflix addict, you’ve surely heard about the sexual harassment allegations against actor-director-producer Kevin Spacey. With so many Hollywood actors and actresses finally finding their voices and speaking out against sexual corruption in the industry, many who have perpetrated heinous, non-consensual crimes against others will suffer the backlash they deserve.
For those out of the loop with the Spacey accusations, it started with a Buzzfeed News interview in which actor Anthony Rapp recounted an experience with Spacey. According to Rapp, Spacey invited him to a party at his apartment and made a sexual advance. At the time Spacey allegedly climbed on top of Rapp on a bed, Spacey was 26 and Rapp was 14.
Reports of sexual harassment in the film industry are, unfortunately, nothing new; if you’re familiar with the Spacey case, you are probably hyper-aware of the Harvey Weinstein allegations, with well-known actresses like Lupita Nyong’o, Gwyneth Paltrow and Ashley Matthau coming forward to share their stories.
In light of Rapp’s allegations against Spacey, more individuals have made claims of assault and harassment, including employees involved with Spacey in the Netflix series House of Cards. With public allegations sweeping the internet, it makes sense for Spacey’s PR to damage-control the situation as much as possible. So, a tweet was posted to Spacey’s Twitter account to diffuse the situation.
By… coming out?
Okay.
I’m not going to postulate whether or not Spacey is gay. What I am going to say is that this statement has, if possible, worsened the situation. Not just for Spacey, but for the LGBT+ community as a whole.
In the 20th century, homosexuality was often tied to pedophilia. Educational films like “Boys Beware” warned of the “sickness that was not visible like smallpox, but no less dangerous and contagious; a sickness of the mind.” That “sickness”, being gay, is now something so many people around the world celebrate. It’s a beautiful growth, especially given the departure of non-heterosexuality from its comparison to pedophilia.
But for Spacey and his PR team, or whoever among them conceived and wrote the statement, to begin with a (poorly-worded) apology, only to turn it into a coming-out, is sickening. It shows that, despite having left pedophilia comparisons in the dust, being gay is still tied to the ignorance of our past society. Spacey’s statement does not even complete the apology. Coming out makes Spacey seem like the victim, because he’s had to hide it from everyone, but a select few close friends and family. In essence, coming out acts as a distraction from the allegations more so than a heartless explanation for unforgivable actions.
It doesn’t matter if Spacey is gay, straight, bi, pan, what have you—it shouldn’t matter. The sexuality of an individual does not determine their honesty or morals. Can a gay man sexually assault someone? Of course. But not because he is gay. Anyone who has taken probability and statistics or economics courses knows that correlation does not equal causation. A person can be straight and commit sexual assault, or be gay and commit sexual assault. A person can be straight and not commit sexual assault, or be gay and not commit sexual assault. There is no pattern to find, no hidden magic-eye image.
Spacey should be investigated, judged and questioned on the allegations separately from his sexuality. We don’t want to turn back the clock on society and resort to equating something beautiful with something disgusting.