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Rob can get into a lot of shit for posting revenge porn, but in so many states it’s still not criminalized
Only 38 states have laws against it
This morning, Rob Kardashian posted a bunch of Blac Chyna’s nudes on his personal Instagram account, claiming she cheated on him, and he wanted to “expose” her and the man she slept with.
Because it’s now an issue of public interest, and because there are so many thousands of screenshots of the now deleted Instagram posts out there, Chyna will have an easier time finding and securing a lawyer.
And, this is particularly so because unlike some states, California, where Rob Kardashian lives, revenge porn is considered a misdemeanor, meaning the intentional distribution of any sexual image of another person carries a sentence of up to six months in jail, and/or a fine of up to $1,000.
But that’s not the case in a lot of other states across the country.
Only 38 states, plus D.C. have revenge porn laws. For example, New York has none – one of many states like this. So why haven’t we criminalized revenge porn across all 50 states?
Why is there no federal law?
white states have no lawsCarrie Goldberg, a 39-year-old Brooklyn attorney who specializes in revenge porn, explains when it comes to states without specific revenge porn laws, things get extremely hard for lawyers. They then have the added challenge of convicting an abuser of something other than the revenge porn they should be guilty of.
“Usually there’s a pattern of other abusive conduct,” she explains, “ie. harassing text messages, and impersonating somebody. In those cases you try to prosecute using other laws.”
A pioneer in the field of sexual privacy, she found herself there after being harassed by her own vengeful ex. When she turned to help, there was nobody there, and so she decided to become her own lawyer.
One of the biggest issues in tackling revenge porn, she says, is that victims are often too “reluctant, or ashamed, to come forward.”
Take myex.com, for example, where people post nudes of exes—mostly women, some men—along with their names, ages, and home towns. They add captions like “My slut wife,” or “Chubby slut,” so when someone does become aware of themselves on the page, they are too embarrassed to go to a family member, much less lawyer, with it.
While Rob might get himself into trouble, there’s still an extremely long way to go in terms of criminalizing revenge porn in so many states. Perhaps the more we voice our collective outrage, the faster it’ll be dealt with.