If there is anything the past year has taught, it’s that a series of tweets can have catastrophic repercussions. While the limelight of recent Twittersphere controversy has been dominated by a certain, less than reserved, political leader, many were shocked last week when actor Kevin Spacey released an outrageous statement on Twitter responding to sexual assault allegations.
On Oct. 9, Spacey responded to fellow actor Anthony Rapp’s claim that over 30 years ago, when Rapp would’ve been 14 years old, 26-year-old Spacey sexually assaulted him. Not only was Spacey’s response to Rapp’s claim dripping with the scent of a PR cover-up, it was beyond problematic.
Austin Maas | Argonaut
Spacey begins his statement with a sincere apology for what he claims, “would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior.” This first portion of his response seems to be standard stock when it comes to celebrity drama. On a public persona level, it clears his slate of both guilt and blame, harboring an apology that’s just genuine enough to not seem like an admission of guilt.
The second portion of his response, however, takes a turn for the worse. For some reason, Spacey chose this occasion as the perfect avenue for coming out of the closet as a gay man.
His announcement is problematic for countless reasons but, first and foremost, is the idea that being gay somehow justifies what is clearly inappropriate and pedophilic behavior.
Spacey’s sexuality has nothing to do with the fact he might have sexually assaulted someone — certainly not a minor. Regardless of gender, Rapp was 14 years old.
Beyond these painfully obvious discrepancies in his statement, Spacey’s attempt to hide behind his sexuality reinforces stereotypes of the LGBTQA community that have long been the cause of political and cultural turmoil. By juxtaposing his sexuality with allegations of sexual assault and pedophilia, Spacey supports outdated assumptions that the vast majority of queer people are dangerous sexual deviants.
Now, in no way does it seem this was Spacey’s intent. Obviously, he was trying to clear his name in whatever way he could. What better way to hide from sexual assault allegations than to reveal deeply personal information that might distract the eyes of the public, right?
Wrong — on so many levels.
Spacey claiming an LGBTQA identity was not one of pride or solidarity, it was one of fear and misdirection. What he failed to understand is that marginalized identities, which always face the risk of public scrutiny, are not personas to be adopted when convenient. To capitalize on oppressed groups in this way is incredibly selfish, disrespectful and hurtful to the members of that community who don’t benefit from his degree of privilege.
I’m not suggesting Spacey should have stayed in the closet — I’m glad he is able to accept some new piece of his identity. I am, however, suggesting his position as a public figure makes his representation of the community far riskier. If Spacey was truly concerned about the LGBTQA community, he might’ve reconsidered the implications of coming out in the way he did.
While Spacey’s coming-out is an important step for his personal development, it demonstrates an important lesson in the impact of words in public spheres. There is power on public platforms like Twitter, and too often marginalized groups are misrepresented and used as tools for further oppression and marginalization.
Austin Maas can be reached at [email protected]