Well, we certainly know that the “they were asking for it” defense applies to both sexes. Because that’s the defense Kevin Spacey’s team is going with for his assault case.
Spacey is currently accused of assaulting an 18-year-old busboy. There is also a Snapchat video showing Spacey groping the victim. Here is what Spacey’s defense team said:
“He welcomed drinks from [Spacey], let [Spacey] put his arm around him near the piano while they did ‘sing-alongs,’ and even left the bar with him to smoke a cigarette after giving [Spacey] his phone number,” Spacey’s lawyers wrote in court documents filed Monday.
“At best, this describes two people engaged in mutual and consensual flirtation, nothing more.”
Let’s see here what the procession of events was here. Have drinks, have a sing-along, have a cigarette…stick a hand down a teenager’s pants? Dude, Spacey, didn’t anyone ever tell you that sharing a cigarette with someone is not an automatic invitation for a genital grope? And Jesus Christ, buying a guy’s drink doesn’t mean you have permission to touch his penis.
I guess I shouldn’t be that surprised. Women encounter this scenario all the time. Some guy buys you a drink at the bar and all of a sudden, they’re demanding payment for the drink in the form of a boob grope or blow job. Kevin Spacey is just like those dickish, entitled assholes (even more so since he’s an actor), the only difference is the sex of his choice of victim.
The victim blaming from Spacey’s defense team only gets worse:
“[The victim] did not object to the alleged touching, he did not ask [Spacey] to stop and he did not remove himself from the situation.”
Oh God, this sounds familiar. This is the defense every rapist uses when they commit sexual. For Christ sake, it’s a freeze response. You’re so shocked by something (such as assault) that you don’t know how to respond, and your brain starts questioning whether this is really happening. You can’t move, and your brain can’t fully process what is happening at that moment. And yes, this can absolutely happen to women and men.
I hope that the jury sees through this utter bullshit of an excuse. Spacey has a long track record of misconduct and is only now facing repercussions. His fame has protected him for far too long, let’s not give him another opportunity to hurt someone again.