You Can Actually Sue Someone for Leaking Your Nudes
If every 20-something girl had to list their biggest fears, I’d guarantee that one would be getting their nudes leaked.
I mean, shit, if Jennifer Lawrence isn’t immune to the wrath of psycho Reddit misogynists, who is?
But the answer is no longer as simple as “well, just don’t send nudes.” The answer is to take that motherfucker to court.
The New Yorker just published a lengthy piece on Carrie Goldberg, “The Attorney Fighting Revenge Porn,” and not only is it inspiring, but it’s eye opening.
Because if your psycho ex or a complete stranger leaks your private sexual photos, you don’t just have to plead with the sites to take the images down and cower in a corner, you can actually do something about it.
New Jersey was the first state to pass a “revenge porn” law, otherwise known as a “nonconsensual-porn law,” in 2004, and 33 states, plus Washington, D.C., have followed suit. The laws vary state by state, so some states carry harsher punishments than others, but something is certainly better than nothing.
Goldberg is the go-to lawyer for defending the many women who have been made victims of angry ex-lovers, stalkers, or other men who spend their time crafting fake Craigslist ads or posting to sites like Is Anyone Up from their mom’s basement.
Goldberg herself was threatened by an ex who claimed he was going to send explicit photos to her family and co-workers, but instead of letting it ruin her life, she decided to dedicate her life to it.
But similar to cases of nonconsensual sex, it’s easy for victims to blame themselves and want to hush everything up rather than coming forward. Especially when lawmakers seem to side with men in many cases. Goldberg urges women to realize that they’re not at fault.
From The New Yorker:
She mentioned the case of Erin Andrews, the former ESPN reporter, who was filmed, without her knowledge, by a man staying in an adjoining hotel room. “Are you just supposed to never take your clothes off?” she said. “You can’t get naked, you can’t take a shower?” She spoke of upskirting—the voyeuristic practice of taking unauthorized pictures beneath a woman’s dress. “Are you never supposed to go out in public in a skirt?” Goldberg said.
If you have been the victim of nonconsensual revenge porn, know that there is something you can do about it, depending on where you live. Don’t get mad – get even. Legally, that is.
