Accuser calls Kevin Spacey’s coming out ‘disguise’ as sexual assault trial unfolds
Kevin Spacey, currently on trial in London for multiple sexual assault allegations, has been accused of insensitivity by one of his alleged victims.
The accuser claimed that Spacey’s decision to come out as gay was a deliberate attempt to “disguise” the accusations of sexual misconduct.
The Oscar-winning actor publicly revealed his sexual orientation in 2017 after facing accusations of making sexual advances toward a 14-year-old boy at a party in 1986.
In his Twitter statement from 2017, Spacey, 63, stated, “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 behavior.”
He previously explained in a New York court that he had not come out earlier due to his father’s affiliation with “white supremacist and a neo-Nazi” ideologies, as well as the “very complicated family dynamic.”
Criticism arose regarding the timing of Spacey’s coming out, with his brother deeming it “an insult to the entire gay community.” The trial at Southwark Crown Court in London commenced on June 28, with the American actor facing 12 charges related to offenses against four men, including sexual assault, indecent assault, and causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent between 2001 and 2013.
During the trial, a witness and alleged victim expressed “incredulous that [Spacey] could be so insensitive,” suggesting that his decision to come out as gay amid the allegations was an attempt to evade responsibility.
The witness recounted experiencing a barrage of sexual comments and being grabbed in an intimate area by Spacey, leaving him feeling belittled and worthless. The alleged assault, said to have occurred in the mid-2000s, was described as an enduring and degrading experience.
“I have never had people speak to me that way, and I felt so degraded.”
Prosecutor Christine Agnew KC characterized Spacey as a “sexual bully” who abused the power and influence granted by his reputation and fame.
The ‘American Beauty’ star claimed that some allegations were fabricated while others involved consensual encounters.
The actor 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. He also 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.