This was writing on October 31st, so obviously I'll only be talking about information that was released before this date.

On October 29, actor Anthony Rapp alleged Kevin Spacey of climbing on top of him in a bedroom at a party in 1986. At the time of this incident, Rapp would have been 14 and Spacey would have been 26 or 27. Spacey, now 58, made a statement on Twitter, which can be found here. Spacey said that he does not recall the encounter, but apologizes for "deeply inappropriate drunken behavior". He also uses this statement to announce that he will "choose now to live as a gay man". This doesn't help his case at all.

First and foremost, as a member of the LGBT+ community, I don't want to say that Spacey shouldn't have come out. However, I find it disgusting that he correlated a pedophilic accusation with his coming out. This doesn't help him and it certainly doesn't help the vicious stereotype against the LGBT+ community that gay people are simply pedophiles and child predators. LGBT+ people have been persecuted for years for being perceived as promiscuous and sexually deviant. With such a public figure making this declaration, it causes the LGBT+ community to take a reluctant step backward in terms of tolerance.

Kevin Spacey's sexuality has been something that has been in question for years now. When this scandal broke, he seemed to use his statement as more of a deflection and a "spin" as opposed to an effective solution to this problem. Spacey worded his statement saying, "I have loved and had romantic encounters with men throughout my life, and I choose now to live as a gay man".

Sexuality is not a choice.

You can experiment and fluctuate within sexualities, which is a perfectly normal thing to do. It is also perfectly normal and valid to have a sudden realization about who you're attracted to. Just say that, instead of perpetuating a stereotype that you were on the fence for a while, and just now decided to jump, when it just so happened that you were also being accused of sexual assault.

Spacey also tried to excuse his actions by saying that if he did assault Rapp, Spacey was most likely drunk. No amount of alcohol or closeted fear can justify this behavior. Many are willing to look past a person's behavior if they were under the influence of alcohol, but that shouldn't matter. Drunk or sober, out or closeted, a crime is a crime, and Kevin Spacey should be given a fair punishment for what he's done.