US & Canada: Style – Kevin Spacey comes out as gay in apology following sexual harassment allegations

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Kevin Spacey and Anthony Rapp /  Who is Anthony Rapp? The Star Trek actor accusing Kevin Spacey of trying to seduce him as a 14-year-old … read more @ aseanews.net..

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Kevin Spacey has come out as gay in an apology to Anthony Rapp, after the Star Trek: Discovery actor accused him of making sexual advances towards him when he was just 14 years old.

Rapp, now 46, made the claims in a piece posted on BuzzFeed News on Sunday (29Oct17), in which he detailed an encounter he’d had with Spacey while they were both appearing on Broadway, in separate shows.

Spacey, who was 26 at the time, invited Rapp to a party at his apartment with friends. The 14-year-old ended up bored and watching TV in Spacey’s bedroom, and later realised that everyone had left. At that point, Rapp alleges Spacey stood at the bedroom door, apparently under the influence of alcohol.

“He lays down on top of me,” Rapp said. “He was trying to seduce me. I don’t know if I would have used that language. But I was aware that he was trying to get with me sexually.”

Rapp then pushed Spacey off and went into the bathroom, where he saw a picture of the actor with his arm around another man and assumed his homosexuality. He then left the bathroom and told Spacey he was leaving, at which point the Oscar-winner followed him to the front door and once again invited him to stay. Rapp declined, and left, and told BuzzFeed News that even now, his stomach churns when he sees pictures of Spacey.

Following Rapp’s news piece, Spacey took to Twitter on Sunday night and shared his apology to the actor, going public with his homosexuality in his statement.

“I have a lot of respect and admiration for Anthony Rapp as an actor,” Spacey wrote. “I’m beyond horrified to hear his story. I honestly do not remember the encounter, it would have been over 30 years ago. But if I did behave as he described, 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. I know that there are other 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 romantic 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.”

Despite Spacey’s apology, many celebrities including actors Billy Eichner and Aimee Carrero, slammed the actor for attempting to dismiss the sexual harassment claims by using his coming out as a distraction from the real matter at hand.

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