George Takei Weighs in on Kevin Spacey Allegations

Star of the new Star Trek: Discovery series, Anthony Rapp, recently revealed that when he was only 14 years old, Kevin Spacey attempted to sexually assault him. In addressing the allegations, Spacey came out as gay, in addition to claiming the incident was fueled by alcohol. Former Star Trek star and LGBTQ advocate George Takei released a statement about the matter to The Hollywood Reporter, claiming that Spacey coming out was merely a “deflection.”

“When power is used in a non-consensual situation, it is a wrong,” Takei’s statement read. “For Anthony Rapp, he has had to live with the memory of this experience of decades ago. For Kevin Spacey, who claims not to remember the incident, he was the older, dominant one who had his way. Men who improperly harass or assault do not do so because they are gay or straight — that is a deflection. They do so because they have the power, and they chose to abuse it.”

Rapp recounted the incident to BuzzFeed amidst a slew of sexual assault and harassment allegations permeating every corner of Hollywood. The event took place in 1986, when Rapp was 14 and Spacey was 26.

“My memory was that I thought, ‘Oh, everybody’s gone. Well, yeah, I should probably go home,’” Rapp said of a night in which he watched TV at Spacey’s apartment. Rapp claims Spacey “sort of stood in the doorway, kind of swaying. My impression when he came in the room was that he was drunk.”

“He picked me up like a groom picks up the bride over the threshold,” Rapp recalled. “But I don’t, like, squirm away initially, because I’m like, ‘What’s going on?’ And then he lays down on top of me.”

“He was trying to seduce me,” Rapp confirmed. “I don’t know if I would have used that language. But I was aware that he was trying to get with me sexually.”

Spacey shared his thoughts on the situation on Twitter.

While many are seemingly relieved that the actor took responsibility for his actions, the overwhelmingly negative reaction to the statement comes from not only blaming his actions on alcohol, but also the attempt to seemingly shift the focus of the controversy to that of his sexuality instead of the alleged attempted assault.

“Coming-out stories should not be used to deflect from allegations of sexual assault,” Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD, shared of the statement. “This is not a coming-out story about Kevin Spacey, but a story of survivorship by Anthony Rapp and all those who bravely speak out against unwanted sexual advances. The media and public should not gloss over that.”

[H/T The Hollywood Reporter]