Kevin Spacey
Photo from Wikimedia Commons
What was the Accusation?
Two-time Oscar winner Kevin Spacey was accused in October 2017 of making inappropriate sexual advances toward actor Anthony Rapp when Rapp was 14 years old. Rapp, then a star of Star Trek: Discovery, said in an interview with BuzzFeed that the incident occurred at a Broadway party in 1986 after other guests had left. According to Rapp, Spacey picked him up, placed him on a bed, and laid down on top of him. Rapp said he was motivated to speak publicly after many women came forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against powerful Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, explaining that he wanted to help shine a light and make a difference.
In response, Spacey released a statement on Twitter saying he was “horrified” by the story and did not remember the encounter. He said that if he had behaved as Rapp described, he owed him “the sincerest apology” for what he described as deeply inappropriate drunken behavior. Spacey also used the same statement to say that he was choosing to live publicly as a gay man. The response was widely criticized because many readers believed it blurred the distinction between homosexuality and alleged sexual misconduct involving a minor. Critics argued that the coming-out portion of the statement functioned as a distraction from the accusation rather than a clear act of accountability.
Key Apologia Strategies:
Defeasibility, Bolstering, Mortification, Corrective Action
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