Kevin Spacey accused of coming out as a gay to ‘disguise’ behaviour, as trial continues
Kevin Spacey has been accused of coming out as a gay to ‘disguise’ his behaviour, as the trial continues. (Neil Mockford/Getty Images)
Kevin Spacey has been accused of being “insensitive” by an alleged sexual assault victim, who claimed the actor’s decision to come out as gay was used to “disguise” accusations of sexual misconduct.
Spacey is currently on trial in London for a string of sexual assault allegations, which he denies.
The Oscar-winning actor, 63, came out as gay in 2017 following accusations that he made sexual advances on a then-14-year-old boy at a party in 1986.
“I choose now to live as a gay man. I want to deal with this openly and honestly and that starts with examining my own behaviour,” Spacey said on Twitter in 2017.
Spacey previously told a New York court that he hadn’t publicly come out as gay before because his father was a “white supremacist and a neo-Nazi” and that he had grown up in a “very complicated family dynamic”.
His decision to come out as gay after the allegations surfaced was criticised, with his brother claiming that the timing was “an insult to the entire gay community”.
Kevin Spacey’s trial at Southwark Crown Court in London began on 28 June, and will see him face 12 charges related to offences against four men, including sexual assault, indecent assault and causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent, between 2001 and 2013.
The witness, an alleged victim, told the court that he felt “incredulous that [Spacey] could be so insensitive”, claiming he felt the actor’s decision to come out as gay during the allegations surfacing was him “not taking ownership”, PA Media reported.
The man told the court that Spacey had directed a “machine gun” of sexual comments at him, and grabbed him in an intimate area – something that made him feel “belittled” and “worthless”. The witness added that the alleged assault, said to have taken place in the mid-2000s, felt as if it lasted “an eternity”.
“I have never had people speak to me that way, and I felt so degraded,” he added.
Previously in the trial, Spacey was described by the prosecution as a “sexual bully”, with prosecutor Christine Agnew KC claiming that the actor “abused the power and influence that his reputation and fame afforded him”.
According to Agnew, Spacey argued that some of the allegations were “simply made up”, while others were consensual sexual encounters.
The two-time Oscar winner pleaded not guilty in January to three counts of indecent assault, three counts of sexual assault, and one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent.
Spacey previously denied four other charges of sexual assault, and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.
The trial continues.
Rape Crisis England and Wales works towards the elimination of sexual violence. If you’ve been affected by the issues raised in this story, you can access more information on their website or by calling the National Rape Crisis Helpline on 0808 802 9999. Rape Crisis Scotland’s helpline number is 08088 01 03 02.
Readers in the US are encouraged to contact RAINN, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800-656-4673.
