# Kevin Spacey comes out in response to accusation of sexual harassment of 14-year old boy **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 30, 2017, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-spacey-comes-out-in-response-to-accusation-of-sexual-harassment-of-14-year-old-boy/800221 "2017-10-30T12:50:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2018, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-spacey-comes-out-in-response-to-accusation-of-sexual-harassment-of-14-year-old-boy/800221/241 "2018-12-29T08:48:19Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > AFAICT he could be. When two drunk people have a sexual encounter without third-party witnesses it is possible that either one of them might have forced nonconsensual sex on the other. Just as when two drunk people have a fistfight without third-party witnesses it is possible that either one of them might have criminally assaulted the other. > The one who’s accused of committing a crime, if the prosecutor thinks the accusation is plausible enough to justify pressing charges. > > Yes, two people could in theory [accuse each other](https://everydayfeminism.com/2016/05/alcohol-and-consent-questions/): You personally attack me as a lawyer, yet you still post this absolute twaddle from a law professor who looks for sexual assault charges against two drunk people who have sex? I know that would be a neo-feminist’s dream, but how about we just stick to the facts of the Spacey allegation in which this alleged victim had the faculties to pull out his phone, activate his video camera, and chat with his girlfriend. Those actions indicate that under any standard of “too intoxicated to consent” he wasn’t that. As someone (like all of us) who wants to protect victims of sexual assault, don’t protect this asshole looking for a pay day by pretending to be such a victim. It cheapens real victims. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2018, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-spacey-comes-out-in-response-to-accusation-of-sexual-harassment-of-14-year-old-boy/800221/242 "2018-12-29T09:20:37Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > You personally attack me as a lawyer, yet you still post this absolute twaddle from a law professor who looks for sexual assault charges against two drunk people who have sex? 😕 I think you must have misunderstood the cite you’re referencing. You sound as though you believe the quoted law professor expert on “the regulation of intimate behavior and gender roles” is in **favor** of situations where both parties in the same drunken sexual encounter try to press sexual assault charges against each other. That’s not at all what the quote, or the linked article, said. The professor looked for case-law instances of such situations to illustrate how tangled and confusing the legal aspects of alcohol-and-consent issues can be, not to argue that such situations would be a **good** thing. > [@UltraVires](#): > > how about we just stick to the facts of the Spacey allegation in which this alleged victim had the faculties to pull out his phone, activate his video camera, and chat with his girlfriend. Well, you’re the one who went off on the tangent about whether Spacey’s own drunkenness should excuse his behavior. If you now prefer to stick to the facts because your tangent wasn’t as rhetorically effective as you hoped, fine, but don’t try to put the blame on other people for going off-topic. > [@UltraVires](#): > > don’t protect this asshole looking for a pay day by pretending to be such a victim I have no interest in “protecting” or defending any accuser of Spacey, as I don’t know any of the facts of any of his alleged assaults. I was just clearing up your confusion about the difference between drunkenness as a valid excuse for not being capable of giving consent, and drunkenness as a specious justification for not being held responsible for committing a crime. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2018, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-spacey-comes-out-in-response-to-accusation-of-sexual-harassment-of-14-year-old-boy/800221/243 "2018-12-29T17:41:49Z")
My point was made in response to the “enthusiastic” consent argument and that one is guilty of sexual assault in all cases where a mistake was made regarding consent. 1. Consent does not have to be given enthusiastically. If my wife or girlfriend is asking for sex and I’m tired or my heart isn’t really into it, I can still consent even though I would rather watch the History Channel. There is nothing illegal about that. 2. The second point that was made that it is up to the initiator of any sexual activity to make one hundred percent sure that the other person wants that particular contact upon pain of imprisonment is simply not accurate. That is not how society works. On a first or second date, if I want to kiss a woman, I do not ask her to sign a consent form or ask her if I may kiss her. It happens how it has happened for thousands of years. You look into someone’s eyes and you slowly lean forward and kiss her. If she does not want to kiss you, she turns her head and says no. When your mouth touches the side of her face, you did not commit a battery. Of course, reasonableness plays a part in this. If I am making out with a woman and gently touch her breast and she then says no, I likely did not commit a sexual assault. If I grab a random woman who is walking down the street and touch her breast, I almost certainly did, even though the women in both situations did not want her breasts to be touched. A part of this reasonableness is the situation and, indeed, the alcohol consumed by each party. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2018, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-spacey-comes-out-in-response-to-accusation-of-sexual-harassment-of-14-year-old-boy/800221/244 "2018-12-29T23:03:01Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > There is no law and never has been a law that requires “enthusiastic” consent. > > Further, if someone begins filming the sexual encounter without stating an objection, I don’t think it is unreasonable to believe that at minimum they don’t mind it. What is wrong with simply saying “no” if you do not want that particular form of contact? You misunderstood - I was not suggesting enthusiastic consent was legally required. I was suggesting that enthusiastic consent would be a better alternative to your hyperbolic suggestion of written consent. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2018, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-spacey-comes-out-in-response-to-accusation-of-sexual-harassment-of-14-year-old-boy/800221/245 "2018-12-30T00:30:38Z")
> [@Poysyn](#): > > You misunderstood - I was not suggesting enthusiastic consent was legally required. I was suggesting that enthusiastic consent would be a better alternative to your hyperbolic suggestion of written consent. So as it is not legally required, how are the actions of Spacey, as stated in the article, a crime at all? Further, there are many reasons why (especially on a first “date”) would not respond with enthusiasm. Shyness, an insecurity about one’s body, etc. Further, as any married person knows, sometimes you really are not into it but will do it because your spouse really wants it. I think that in Spacey’s situation, it was reasonable to assume that the other man may have wanted the contact. So he rubbed his thigh and unzipped his pants before touching his genitals. That should not transform into a felony because the other man did not recognize those clear social clues. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2019, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-spacey-comes-out-in-response-to-accusation-of-sexual-harassment-of-14-year-old-boy/800221/246 "2019-01-01T03:02:15Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > It’s truly a Norma Desmond moment. ‘Miss me yet?’ Umm, actually, no. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2019, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-spacey-comes-out-in-response-to-accusation-of-sexual-harassment-of-14-year-old-boy/800221/247 "2019-01-01T03:29:42Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > So as it is not legally required, how are the actions of Spacey, as stated in the article, a crime at all? > > Further, there are many reasons why (especially on a first “date”) would not respond with enthusiasm. Shyness, an insecurity about one’s body, etc. Further, as any married person knows, sometimes you really are not into it but will do it because your spouse really wants it. > > I think that in Spacey’s situation, it was reasonable to assume that the other man may have wanted the contact. So he rubbed his thigh and unzipped his pants before touching his genitals. That should not transform into a felony because the other man did not recognize those clear social clues. Again - I was suggesting the enthusiastic consent as an alternative to your (hyperbolic) mention of written consent. Since I am not familiar with the case against Mr Spacey, I certainly would not attempt to make any assumptions, reasonable or otherwise. I will say that, in my experience, prior to pressing charges of sexual assault there is usually some evidence or proof, particularly in a case this high-profile. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2019, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-spacey-comes-out-in-response-to-accusation-of-sexual-harassment-of-14-year-old-boy/800221/248 "2019-01-01T12:38:46Z")
Love him or hate him the video shows just what an incredible actor he is. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2021, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-spacey-comes-out-in-response-to-accusation-of-sexual-harassment-of-14-year-old-boy/800221/249 "2021-04-30T18:47:46Z")
I was curious as to what is happening with Kevin Spacey lately and found this recent article: > **[Kevin Spacey’s Strange New World: From Triple Threat to Legal Challenges on...](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/hollywood-pariah-kevin-spacey-faces-mounting-legal-woes-4169709/)** > > The two-time Oscar winner has reached a “critical mass” of legal challenges over allegations of sexual misconduct that make it unlikely he will ever work again. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2021, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-spacey-comes-out-in-response-to-accusation-of-sexual-harassment-of-14-year-old-boy/800221/250 "2021-05-25T03:21:04Z")
[https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/news/kevin-spacey-to-appear-in-first-role-after-sexual-assault-allegations/ar-AAKk29P](https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/news/kevin-spacey-to-appear-in-first-role-after-sexual-assault-allegations/ar-AAKk29P) This is a cameo in a low-budget movie. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2021, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-spacey-comes-out-in-response-to-accusation-of-sexual-harassment-of-14-year-old-boy/800221/251 "2021-05-25T03:40:23Z")
It’s not in the NBC story, but the plot of the movie is about a man falsely accused of being a pedophile. That’s more than a little weird. > **[Kevin Spacey set for return to movies with paedophilia drama](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/may/24/kevin-spacey-return-italian-paedophilia-drama)** > > The actor, who has been the subject of multiple sexual misconduct allegations, is to play a detective in Franco Nero’s film about a man wrongly suspected of child abuse ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2022, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-spacey-comes-out-in-response-to-accusation-of-sexual-harassment-of-14-year-old-boy/800221/252 "2022-05-26T16:30:22Z")
> **[Kevin Spacey facing four counts of sexual assault against three men](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/may/26/kevin-spacey-charged-with-four-counts-of-sexual-assault-against-three-men)** > > Crown Prosecution Service authorises criminal charges against the 62-year-old actor ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2022, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-spacey-comes-out-in-response-to-accusation-of-sexual-harassment-of-14-year-old-boy/800221/253 "2022-05-26T17:03:31Z")
Amused that The Guardian uses exactly the same photo for him, a year later. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-spacey-comes-out-in-response-to-accusation-of-sexual-harassment-of-14-year-old-boy/800221/254 "2022-10-21T04:50:56Z")
> **[Kevin Spacey Found Not Liable In Anthony Rapp’s $40M Sexual Misconduct Lawsuit](https://deadline.com/2022/10/kevin-spacey-trial-verdict-not-liable-anthony-rapp-sexual-misconduct-civil-lawsuit-1235151159/)** > > UPDATED with more details: The jury in Anthony Rapp’s $40 million sexual misconduct lawsuit against Kevin Spacey has found the two-time Oscar winner not liable for damages today. They had deliberat… ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2023, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-spacey-comes-out-in-response-to-accusation-of-sexual-harassment-of-14-year-old-boy/800221/255 "2023-07-26T16:14:37Z")
Spacey has now been acquitted of the nine criminal charges brought against him in the UK. The acquittal apparently was by majority of the jury, not unanimous, but still he remains acquitted. > **[Kevin Spacey acquitted of all nine sexual offence charges in London trial](https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/actor-kevin-spacey-acquitted-all-nine-sexual-offence-charges-london-trial-2023-07-26/)** > > A tearful Kevin Spacey said he was "humbled" after a jury in a London court found him not guilty on Wednesday of carrying out multiple sex assaults on four men. What does this say about his loss of reputation and loss of work after the charges that were brought against him? Are there any other criminal charges or lawsuits pending on any such charges? Can, should and will his reputation be rehabilitated? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2023, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-spacey-comes-out-in-response-to-accusation-of-sexual-harassment-of-14-year-old-boy/800221/256 "2023-07-26T16:30:49Z")
The standards in a court of criminal law need not be the same as the standards in the court of public opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2023, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-spacey-comes-out-in-response-to-accusation-of-sexual-harassment-of-14-year-old-boy/800221/257 "2023-07-26T16:34:22Z")
Yeah, his career is still sunk. What studio wants to dare the potential liability of him doing this again? “But he was acquitted in a court of law” probably won’t cut it. Limiting his access is a huge headache. Is he worth it? I doubt it at this point. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2023, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-spacey-comes-out-in-response-to-accusation-of-sexual-harassment-of-14-year-old-boy/800221/258 "2023-07-26T16:46:40Z")
[There are over 40 separate accusations of sexually inappropriate behavior from Spacey.](https://www.thecut.com/article/all-of-the-allegations-against-actor-kevin-spacey.html) It’s going to take more than this trial to rehabilitate his career. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2023, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-spacey-comes-out-in-response-to-accusation-of-sexual-harassment-of-14-year-old-boy/800221/259 "2023-07-26T18:28:28Z")
Convictions in sexual assault cases are notoriously hard to get, and in this case, even some jury members thought he was guilty. An acquittal isn’t going to convince many people that he was innocent, and few actors would want to work with him. I doubt audiences would want to see him in any films. Having read the accounts of his accusers, don’t think his reputation can or should be rehabilitated. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2023, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-spacey-comes-out-in-response-to-accusation-of-sexual-harassment-of-14-year-old-boy/800221/260 "2023-07-26T18:57:08Z")
I really can’t watch him anymore, this outcome won’t change that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-spacey-comes-out-in-response-to-accusation-of-sexual-harassment-of-14-year-old-boy/800221.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-spacey-comes-out-in-response-to-accusation-of-sexual-harassment-of-14-year-old-boy/800221.md?page=14)