Being LGBT has nothing to do with child predation.
Such a fact should be obvious, but according to the ridiculous statement released by Kevin Spacey following Anthony Rapp’s allegations of sexual assault, this isn’t the case.
The conditional tense in the first paragraph of Spacey’s so-called apology (“If I did behave then as he describes….”) is instantly troubling. Amidst the much-needed discussions of sexual assault following the widespread #MeToo movement, being aware of the dangers of victim-doubting is perhaps more prominent now than ever before. The fact that Spacey challenges the authenticity of Rapp’s reveal makes it clear that he is attempting to divert blame, and that alone is enough to render his apology inadequate.
Unfortunately, that’s only the beginning. The real problem lies in the second paragraph.
A coming-out statement has no place in an apology for sexual assault. In fact, the problems with this are so extensive that it’s hard to know where to start.
For one thing, there’s the issue of the way in which Spacey seems to be associating sexual orientation with assault--and the assault of a minor, nonetheless. Pedophilia is a problem that exists independently of orientation. It has no relationship whatsoever to whether a person is gay or straight; a child is a child, and attraction to a child is upsetting and unacceptable. That being said, the LGBT community has worked long and hard to erase the stereotype that conflates homosexuality with pedophilia and other forms of sexual assault. By pairing a benign coming-out statement with a response to a very serious and disturbing accusation, Spacey is not only blurring boundaries that should be clean-cut, but pretty much erasing them entirely. He seems to have had the strange idea that he must come out as a result of these allegations, which brings us to another point: the shameful way in which he treats his sexuality.
“Yes, I may have assaulted Rapp,” he seems to imply “and yes, I am attracted to men.” Both are things that he admits due to circumstances beyond his control. But there is no need whatsoever for the latter statement in this circumstance. A man accused of assaulting an underage girl would see no need to address his sexual orientation in an apology--in fact, his doing so would appear bizarre and disturbing, because, again, child predation should not be conflated with sexuality. It is simply irrelevant: a child is a child, and rape is rape. This isn’t an intimate act by any means, but rather a violent crime.
Media, of course, has leapt upon this post as they would upon any celebrity’s coming-out statement. Spacey’s assault of a minor cannot be mentioned without the fact that he has also come out as gay, and the repercussions of this for the larger LGBT community are likely to be nightmarish.
Spacey’s words are irresponsible and unacceptable. The audacity of addressing one’s sexuality in the same tweet that acknowledges allegations of assault is stunning, and it needs to be addressed. Normalization of this sort of behavior is not an option.
Being LGBT has nothing to do with child predation. We cannot be allowed to forget this.
