FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JULY 25, 2019 • THE QUEENS COURIER 19
Photo courtesy of Assemblyman Edward Braunstein
Bayside assemblyman’s bill criminalizes revenge porn in New York
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@qns.com
@jenna_bagcal
Cyberbullies in New York state looking
to publish revenge porn will now face up
to a year in jail thanks to a Bayside lawmaker’s
Queens lawmaker’s fi rst-in-the-nation cat declawing ban enacted
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
New York became the fi rst state in the
nation to outlaw cat declawing.
State Senator Michael Gianaris sponsored
the legislation that was signed into
law by Governor Andrew Cuomo imposing
a $1,000 fi ne for medically unnecessary
declawing practices.
“Declawing is a cruel and painful procedure
that can create physical and behavioral
problems for helpless animals and
today it stops,” Cuomo said. “By banning
this archaic practice, we will ensure that
animals are no longer subjected to these
inhumane and unnecessary procedures.”
Declawing, also known as onychectomy,
involves the removal of all or most
of the last bone of each of the toes of the
front feet, and tendons, nerves and ligaments
that allow for normal function of
the paws are severed, resulting in intense
and chronic pain and other serious medical
or behavioral issues. Aft er the claws
are removed, cats oft en shift their gait and
where it places most of its weight, causing
strain on its leg joints and spine, which
can lead to early onset arthritis and prolonged
back and joint pain.
Cats’ claws play an important role in
various aspects of their lives, including to
assist in climbing and maintaining balance
and to escape danger.
“Cat declawing is a brutal procedure
similar to severing a human fi nger at the
fi rst knuckle and has lifelong ramifi cations
for cats,” Gianaris said. “I am proud
of the new Senate majority’s emphasis on
animal welfare and am glad the governor
enacted this legislation.”
Nine cities across the country, including
Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa
Monica, West Hollywood and Berkley
have enacted anti-declawing laws. State
legislatures in California, New Jersey,
Massachusetts, Rhode Island and West
Virginia are considering similar measures.
newly signed legislation criminalizing
the act.
Aft er a six-year push, Governor Andrew
Cuomo recently signed Assemblyman
Edward Braunstein’s bill criminalizing
the publication of revenge porn or the
“non-consensual sharing or publication of
an intimate image.”
Images classifi ed as “revenge porn” are
done with the intent to cause harm to the
emotional, fi nancial or physical welfare of
a person. In addition, the images must be
taken with a reasonable expectation that it
will remain private.
Under the bill, violators will face up
to a year in jail and as well as civil damages.
Th e law also empowers victims to
seek a court order to remove the off ending
images online.
“Th is new law will make it a Class
A misdemeanor to disseminate revenge
porn, providing prosecutors with the
tools necessary to punish those who
engage in this type of reprehensible
behavior. Additionally, New York will
become the fi rst state in the nation to
allow victims to seek a court-ordered
injunction to require websites to remove
the off ending images,” said Braunstein.
Th e northeast Queens lawmaker introduced
the bill in 2013 to keep up with
people’s 21st-century photo-sharing habits
of decimating intimate images by
phone and online.
In February 2019, Cuomo and the state
Legislature voted in favor of the bill.
“Th ank you to Governor Cuomo for
signing this important measure into law.
I would also like to express my gratitude
to Carrie Goldberg, a victims’ rights lawyer,
as well as Sanctuary for Families,
the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative and
the Cyber Sexual Abuse Task Force, for
their tireless advocacy on this issue,”
Braunstein said.
Th e Assembly unanimously passed the
bill last year, while it failed to pass in the
then-Republican Senate. According to
QNS, the Senate did not bring the bill to
the fl oor despite alleged pressure from
the Internet Association and Google.
“Our laws have not kept pace with
technology and how abusers can use it
to harass, intimidate and humiliate intimate
partners,” Cuomo said. “By criminalizing
the publication of revenge porn,
we are empowering victims of this heinous
act to take action against their
abusers and showing them a path to justice.”
Councilman Rory Lancman passed a
similar bill in the City Council back in
2017. At the city level, violators can face
up to a year in jail, a $1,000 fi ne or both.
“As part of our Women’s Justice
Agenda, we are focused on changing
a culture that enables sexism and violence
against women,” said Lieutenant
Governor Kathy Hochul. “Th is legislation
ensures New Yorkers are not victims
of nonconsensual release of intimate
images, empowering them to take action
to remove images from the Internet and
subject abusers to jail time. Th is is another
important step in our overall goals to
achieve true social, economic, racial and
gender justice once and for all.”
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