Actor Kevin Spacey to face another sexual abuse trial in court, questions raised over his sexuality

Because the actor and his accuser are gay, a New York City jury was urged on Thursday to take the long-standing allegations of sexual assault against Kevin Spacey seriously. An attorney for Anthony Rapp made the request as his $40 million legal case against Kevin Spacey began in Manhattan Federal Court. When Rapp was a kid acting on Broadway in 1986, he claims the Oscar winner pushed him down on a bed at Spacey's Upper East Side apartment. The fact that Spacey, 63, and Rapp, 50, have largely dated men should not affect the facts at issue, according to Rapp's lawyer, Peter Saghir.

“What happened to Mr. Rapp at the hands of Kevin Spacey when he was just 14 years old had nothing to do Mr. Rapp’s sexual orientation, and it had nothing to do with Kevin Spacey’s sexual orientation,” Saghir said.

“If you’re tempted to say that men who love each other are not deserving of justice, then we might as well pack our bags and go home right now,” he continued. “Whether it’s a 14-year-old boy or a 14-year-old girl should make no difference in this courtroom.”

Jennifer Keller, Spacey's attorney, immediately commenced an aggressive defense. She called Rapp, who brought his lawsuit in 2020, "troubled," and claimed that he made up the alleged molestation out of resentment for Spacey's fame.

“You’ll hear that he’s been telling this story for attention, for sympathy, and to raise his own profile,” she said. “(He) never became the international star that Kevin Spacey is, who could play almost any role — comedic, dramatic, sang, danced. He has been simmering, simmering with resentment all of this time.”

She claimed that Rapp was bitter at her client's failure to come out as gay at the height of his fame.

“When he’d see Kevin Spacey winning an Oscar, he’d become enraged,” said Keller. “He knew Mr. Spacey was in the closet on his way to becoming a star.”