UPDATE: Kevin Spacey’s apology to actor Anthony Rapp has unleashed a flood of negative reactions on Twitter. Spacey’s decision to combine a coming-out statement with an apology to Rapp, who has accused him of sexual misconduct when Rapp was just 14, was slammed by observers who were shocked that Spacey took the opportunity to talk about his own sexuality in the midst of the accusation of underage sexual assault.
Additionally, the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced on Monday that it would not be honoring Spacey with the Emmy Founders Award following the allegation.
“Savage Love” writer and “It Gets Better” creator Dan Savage strongly condemned his statement, saying “There’s no amount of drunk or closeted that excuses or explains away asssaulting a 14-year-old child.”
Nope to Kevin Spacey's statement. Nope. There's no amount of drunk or closeted that excuses or explains away assaulting a 14-year-old child.
— Dan Savage (@fakedansavage) October 30, 2017
“Billy on the Street” host Billy Eichner left it at a succinct “Nope. Absolutely Not.”
That Kevin Spacey statement. Nope. Absolutely not. Nope.
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) October 30, 2017
Zachary Quinto wrote in a lengthy statement posted on Twitter, “It is deeply sad and troubling that this is how Kevin Spacey has chosen to come out. Not by standing up as a point of pride — in the light of all his many awards and accomplishments, thus inspiring tens of thousands of struggling LGBTQ kids around the world — but as a calculated manipulation to deflect attention from the very serious accusation that he attempted to molest one.”
— Zachary Quinto (@ZacharyQuinto) October 30, 2017
Rose McGowan, who was instrumental in helping to reveal the sexual assaults committed by Harvey Weinstein, reminded that the focus should be on the victim, not the accused.
Dear fellow media:
Keep focus on #AnthonyRapp BE THE VICTIM'S VOICE. Help us level the playing field.
— Rose McGowan (@rosemcgowan) October 30, 2017
Author Mark Harris said “Coming out is a beautiful part of being gay. Attaching it to this vileness is so wrong.”
I keep rereading this statement and getting angrier. Coming out is a beautiful part of being gay. Attaching it to this vileness is so wrong.
— Mark Harris (@MarkHarrisNYC) October 30, 2017
Comedian Cameron Esposito and “Full Frontal” writer Travon Free both emphasized that being gay does not have to do with going after “underage folks.”
Just wanna be really fucking clear that being gay has nothing to do w/ going after underage folks
— Cameron Esposito (@cameronesposito) October 30, 2017
Can't believe I'm saying this in 2017 but here it goes:
Being gay is not an excuse for trying to molest children. pic.twitter.com/5mA4o0r7xm
— Travon Free (@Travon) October 30, 2017
Comedian-writer Guy Branum called it a “PR smokescreen.”
The classiest way to come out of the closet is as a PR smokescreen to distract people from the fact that you tried to molest a child.
— Guy Branum (@guybranum) October 30, 2017
“Westworld” actress Evan Rachel Wood wrote emphasized that being bisexual doesn’t make someone “a predator.”
https://twitter.com/evanrachelwood/status/925181012228718592
