AK Souffle: Kevin comes clean, or does he?

So finally he comes out, after years of speculation and rumour Kevin Spacey is out. Out and apologising for having made what it would seem were sexual advances on a teenage boy. The story is pretty ripe, Star Trek star Anthony Rapp has gone on the record saying that Spacey made what were clearly in his mind a sexual approach at Spacey’s New York apartment when he was 14 years old.

Well hooray Kevin, but what took you so long? And for that matter what did you think was okay about making sexual advances to a minor, a 14 year old?

And of course, why now?

Well in view of the fact that Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein has been so thoroughly disgraced in the last few weeks, maybe Kevin is trying to stay ahead of the onslaught, because let’s face it, I bet Mr Weinstein is not the only tinsel town predator who will be accused of inappropriate sexual behaviour in the next few months. The evidence against Weinstein seems pretty strong, but his attitude to the accusations appears to be rather egotistical and again inappropriate.

Help rid the film industry of homophobia

As for Mr Spacey, well shame on you. Okay, I understand the pressure that an actor might have felt to stay in the closet, well I understand it to a certain extent. Maybe coming out could damage the career of a Hollywood star… no hang on, he wouldn’t be the first and with the horrible truth that finally destroyed Rock Hudson, the years of personal damage that he endured before finally coming out, well surely there was a lesson to be learnt?

And since then the world has not only accepted a whole tranche of gay actors who have proved that as actors, they are more than capable of playing roles that are heterosexual quite convincingly. I mean if they cannot do that then what kind of an actor are they. Acting is make believe after all. So hats off to all those out actors who do what they do as gay men and women in an industry that in the past has been internally rather accepting of homosexuality albeit in a rather cloak and dagger manner.

In a statement made on Twitter Spacey has said that he is “sorry for the feelings he [Rapp] describes having carried with him all these years” and said that he wanted to deal with the allegations honestly. “As those closest to me know, in my life I have had relationships with both men and women.” He added: “I have loved and had romantic encounters with men throughout my life, and 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.” It’s a start Kevin, maybe you can help more, help rid the film industry of homophobia or in truth of any kind of sexual oppression.