In the wake of the nude photo scandal that rocked the armed services last week, Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-Ca.) is turning her frustration into action.
In a press conference in Washington D.C. on Thursday, Speier announced her plans for the Servicemembers Intimate Privacy Protection Act. The act would close the loophole in preexisting rules in the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Currently the rules state that that servicemen should be punished for taking nude photos without a person’s consent, but there is no language that addresses distributing nude photos without consent.
“The utter lack of respect shown to women in the military, who put their lives on the line just like their male colleagues to defend on our country, and then are treated so shallow, is absolutely outrageous,” Speier said, before calling out military leadership for their lack of discipline, and introducing the new act.
(Watch the press conference below.)
Speier was joined at the press conference by attorney Gloria Allred and Marine Corps veteran Erika Butner, who was one of the scandal’s victims and who supports Speier’s bill.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Marine Corps updated its social media guidelines for servicemembers in response to the scandal and the resultant investigation. The Navy and the Army are under ongoing investigation as well for similar scandals.
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