From the moment that Kevin Spacey’s most recent accuser went public, people familiar with Hollywood’s open secrets have been eagerly waiting for the other shoe to drop.
The other shoe, in this case, is Bryan Singer.
The same stories of sexual predation have followed these two around for the longest time. And now a new voice has come forward to accuse Bryan Singer.
In the late ’90s, three extras who were minors — at least one of them was only 14 — sued Bryan Singer.
They alleged that, in their role as extras on Apt Pupil, they were instructed to get fully naked for a shower scene.
Even though exactly no one should be telling minors to get naked so that they can be recorded in the shower, the suits were dismissed.
Fast-forward to 2014, and Bryan Singer was sued for allegedly molesting a teenager.
That teen, Michael Egan, later withdrew the suit.
Which didn’t stop another, anonymous minor from suing Bryan Singer during the same period.
Beyond that, rumors have long associated Bryan Singer and Kevin Spacey and their alleged taste in the same sorts of underage teens.
The two are known to be friends, having collaborated on many projects together — from successes like The Usual Suspects to infuriating disasters like Superman Returns.
Bryan Singer is perhaps best known for his films in the X-Men franchise, which has been a sore point for many people who love X-Men stories but don’t want to in any way support a known sexual predator.
All week, following Kevin Spacey’s new infamy, people have been vocally hoping that someone with firsthand knowledge will come forward and, despite all of the fear and obstacles, speak out about their experiences with Bryan Singer.
Hoping that maybe, among the chorus of #MeToo stories, people might actually listen this time.
A Twitter user using the handle @Justin_C_Smith tweeted on Wednesday, in a string of 14 tweets, accusing Bryan Singer.
“That same night, in response to all my questions, Bryan again asked to see my dick. I said no. He then asked to feel my ass. After hesitating, I relented, thinking he’d give it a quick squeeze. Nope. (8/14)”
Please don’t judge what a person agrees to in order to feel safe. And remember that an agreement to one thing is not the same as consenting to anything more.
“He quickly & very aggressively shoved his hand down my jeans & underwear and tried to shove his finger inside me. He had his other hand clamped on my shoulder so I couldn’t immediately move away. He penetrated me for a split second before I shoved him away (9/14)”
That is a description of some massively predatory behavior.
“I said no, that I just wanted to go home. He said fine, but I’d better not tell anyone because no one would believe me anyway. I absolutely believed this, so I never said anything until now. (11/14)”
We’re glad that Kevin got away, but it is tragic that this alleged event happened in the first place.
And, similarly, it’s horrible that threats that everyone will doubt the person are so rooted in reality. There are people who would rather believe anyone but the victims.
“I never went to any of Bryan Singers ‘private parties’, but I guarantee the stories of the young men who say they were raped are true. I witnessed the beginning of many of these nights. I wish I would’ve loudly objected to what I saw happening. (12/14)”
Though countless replies to his original threat of tweets are still visible on Twitter, Justin Smith’s actual Twitter account is now gone.
It is unclear whether Justin deleted his tweets himself — though, considering the vile trolls who have been harassing him with the usual evil things that people say to victims of sex abuse who come forward, that would be understandable.
It is also more than possible that Justin’s account was suspended by Twitter itself.
First of all, they may have considered Justin’s accusations a breach of their user agreement.
In light of the apparent attempt to silence Rose McGowan, we can understand that people would assume the worst.
But it may be that Justin Smith simply didn’t want to put up with the harassing tweets after having clearly endured so much.
If more people come forward with similar stories about Bryan Singer, something may happen. If not … he’ll probably get to keep making movies as if nothing had happened.
All sexual assaults are awful, particularly those against minors.
What adds to the horror of what Kevin Spacey and Bryan Singer are accused of having done is that targeting gay teens, especially those who are closeted, adds an additional layer of secrecy and shame.
Because of society’s negative stigma towards the gay community, gay victims of sexual violence are perhaps the least likely to come forward.
Anthony Rapp speaking out was a brave act, and even that took decades. And he has a career and isn’t in the closet.
Not every alleged victim can say the same, we’d wager.
Of course, even if another dozen people come forward to accuse Bryan Singer, he’ll probably just “go for treatment” like his good buddy Kevin Spacey.
If you’re rich enough, spending a week talking about your feelings is supposed to be the same thing as actual consequences.
Maybe the investigation into Harvey Weinstein will change that. We’ll see.
For now, all that people can do is come forward and speak the truth.
