TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida State Sen. Lauren Book often tells the story of how she was sexually abused as a child for years by her nanny.
Book, 37, channeled the pain into a lifetime of helping other abuse survivors. Now, she's been victimized again, and she's taking action as only a legislator can. She told The Associated Press that a teenager tried to extort her months ago by threatening to reveal nude photos that were stolen from her.
Book, during an interview Monday, told the outlet the images had been bought and traded online since 2000.
"I hate that this happened to me," Book said. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it. But I’ll take it, because I know that I can do something about it."
She introduced SB 1798 to strengthen the state's revenge porn law which creates criminal and civil penalties for people who send sexually explicit pictures of another person that have been altered without that person's consent, otherwise known as deepfakes, according to an analysis of the legislation. Anyone found to have unlawfully obtained, possessed or disseminated sexually explicit images also could be found guilty of a felony.
It, too, would replace the phrase in state law from "any sexual conduct by a child" to "child pornography," potentially increasing who could be arrested and convicted for such crimes.
The bill is expected to get its first committee hearing Tuesday.
Book told the AP she feels blessed to have the ability and the resources to fight back when many other people do not. Her abuser ultimately was imprisoned, but the photos continue circulating.
"There are still things up there. Still. They’ll never be gone. People were buying it, people were trading it, and this is not unique. This is happening every single day, to women predominantly," she said.
10 Tampa Bay's Andrew Krietz contributed to this report.