SACRAMENTO — Assemblyman Tom Lackey (R-Palmdale) introduced bipartisan legislation to increase protections for victims of revenge porn. AB 307 requires wrongdoers to register as sex offenders. This bill asks investigators to primarily focus on consent. It eliminates other considerations: if the victim experienced serious emotional distress and if that was the committers intention.
“Our laws should never protect abusers who harass and exploit to maintain control. Revenge porn is a disgusting expression of someone’s desire to dominate those who have intimately entrusted them,” said Lackey. “In cases of domestic violence, abusers create self-doubt through coercive control. It is hard enough to free victims; we need not prod their mental state thereafter. AB 307 asks agencies to look at what is relevant for sex crimes, consent or lack thereof.”
Prior to serving in the California State Assembly, Tom Lackey served as a law enforcement officer for 28 years. In his role as Vice-Chairman of the Public Safety Committee, he champions victim’s rights and amplifies voices seeking assistance from law enforcement. While revenge porn can be considered gendered violence – disproportionately victimizing women, it also encompasses the LGBTQIA+ community and a population that skews younger.
AB 307 is jointly authored by Assemblywoman Suzette Valladares (R-Santa Clarita), it is co-authored by Senate Republican Leader Scott Wilk (R-Santa Clarita) and Assemblyman Adrin Nazarian (D-Sherman Oaks).
Assemblyman Lackey proudly represents the 36th Assembly District, which contains portions of Kern, San Bernardino, and Los Angeles counties, including the communities of Lancaster, Palmdale, Santa Clarita, Quartz Hill, Acton, Boron, Littlerock, Pearblossom, Mojave, Rosamond, California City, Phelan, and Piñon Hills.
