When I first heard a woman’s story about her abuser using so-called “revenge porn” to blackmail her, I was shocked. I was more shocked to learn that her story was far from unique and that what her abuser had done was not even against Maine law.

Thankfully, lawmakers came together this session to fix that. L.D. 679, a bill to make the dissemination of compromising images or videos without consent a crime, is now law and will go into effect later this year. That means law enforcement will be able to go after perpetrators who are using this disturbing strategy to harass, coerce, humiliate and otherwise gain power over their victims.

I was proud to cosponsor this bill to help Mainers such as the woman whose story first made me aware of this terrible issue — people who live in fear that compromising images of them might be shared on the Internet for anyone to see by someone who wants to hurt or shame them.

I am grateful to the many advocates, law enforcement officers and lawmakers from both sides of the aisle who came together to do the right thing by making the dissemination of “revenge porn” a crime in our state.

Rep. Gay Grant

D-Gardiner


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