Bad timing: Kevin Spacey criticized for how he came out
Kevin Spacey is being criticized for coming out.
Many have an issue with the House of Cards star revealing his sexuality as part of an apology in the wake of an accusation of sexual misconduct.
On Sunday, Buzzfeed published a story in which Star Trek: Discovery actor Anthony Rapp accused Spacey of making a sexual advance towards him in 1986. Rapp was a 14-year-old child actor and Spacey was 26.
In response to the allegations, Spacey tweeted that he was "beyond horrified to hear [Rapp's] story." Spacey also tweeted that he did not remember the encounter.
"But if I did behave then as he describes, I owe him the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior, and I am sorry for the feelings he describes having carried with him all these years," he wrote.
He went on to include confirmation of something that had been buzzed about in Hollywood for years, that he is gay.
"As those closest to me know, in my life I have had relationships with both men and women," Spacey wrote. "I have loved and had romantic encounters with men throughout my life, and I choose now to live as a gay man."
Several celebrities used social media to express their displeasure at Spacey connecting allegations of sexual misconduct involving a child to being a gay man.
The gay community has long battled the perception that homosexuality is somehow tied to child molestation.
Vanity Fair movie critic Richard Lawson tweeted "This exposes the gay community to a million tired old criticisms and conspiracies" and added "How dare you implicate us all in this."
Spacey, who has been famously private about his personal life, said that he now lives as a gay man, which marked the first time the actor has made a public statement about his sexual orientation.
"This story has encouraged me to address other things about my life," Spacey said in his tweet. He continued that he has had "relationships with both men and women," and added, "I have loved and had romantic encounters with men throughout my life, and I choose now to live as a gay man."
Though Spacey's sexuality has been on the radar in the past, many are unconcerned with his sexuality in the present.
Information was gathered from this article.
The Gayly – October 30, 2017 @ 10:30 a.m. CST.