House OKs bill making nude photo sharing in military a crime
ASSOCIATED PRESS / MARCH 8
Former Marine Erika Butner, right, and attorney Gloria Allred hold photos of Butner in uniform, as she and another active-duty female Marine said photographs of them were secretly posted online without their consent. Nude photos of other servicewomen were also posted.
WASHINGTON >> The House has unanimously approved legislation that makes it a crime for U.S. service members to distribute intimate photos or videos of people without first getting their consent.
The measure is a direct response to a nude-photo sharing scandal that has rocked the Marine Corps. Lawmakers voted 418-0 to pass the bill Wednesday.
The scandal came to light after it was discovered that sexually explicit photos of female and male Marines were being shared on a secret Facebook page.
Rep. Martha McSally of Arizona, the bill’s sponsor, says the “Neanderthals” who posted the photos aren’t emblematic of the vast majority of U.S. troops. But she says the idea that any one in uniform thinks it’s acceptable to upload and comment on nude photos is a problem that must be fixed.
