Charlotte Anne Laws,also known by her stage name Missy Laws (born May 11,1960),is an American author,talk show host,animal rights advocate,anti-revenge porn activist,former politician,and actress.[1] Laws is a former BBC News contributor and was a weekly commentator on KNBC-TV's The Filter with Fred Roggin[2] from 2009 to 2013. She also co-hosted the Internet show,' Every Way Woman (2008–2013) [3] and hosted a local television show called "Uncommon Sense" from October 2007 to September 2010.
Laws is a former member of the Greater Valley Glen Council in the neighborhood of Valley Glen,Los Angeles,California.[4][5] She was termed out of office in 2012,after serving four two-year terms.[6] In May 2006,Laws was appointed by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to serve on the city's 912 Commission,also known as the Neighborhood Council Review Commission.[7][8]
Laws is the founder and president of two organizations:the Directors of Animal Welfare (DAW)[9][10] and the League for Earth and Animal Protection (LEAP).[11] In 2006,Laws was the recipient of the Los Angeles Animal Humanitarian Award. Laws is a vegan and an advocate of the vegan diet.[12]
Biography
Acting and writing career
Laws during a television interview in June 2009.
Laws studied acting at the Academy Theatre of Atlanta,Joe Bernard's Acting Studio in Las Vegas and the Estelle Harman Actors Workshop in Los Angeles. She worked as a model and actress in movies and television until her late 20s. She has performed as a stand-up comic at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles.
In 1988,Laws authored the book Meet the Stars,which details how the average person can succeed in the entertainment industry. She promoted the book on Larry King Live,Oprah Winfrey,The Late Show. [citation needed][13]
On April 11,2015,Laws' memoir titled Rebel in High Heels was released. The book details her fight against revenge porn and the first 22 years of her life. Her book Devil in the Basement was released on March 14,2018. This nonfiction novel is about Laws' grandfather,who devil worshipper Ernie Yost murdered in 1948.[17] The book also spotlights the rampant prejudice directed at Italian-Americans in the early twentieth century[18] and delves into the real-life romance between Laws’great aunt Rose and Vito Giacalone,a former Detroit mobster and the prime suspect in the death of labor union leader,Jimmy Hoffa.[19][20]
On August 15,2019,Laws's second memoir,"Undercover Debutante:The Search for My Birth Parents and a Bald Husband," was published.[21] The book won a Publishers Weekly book award and covers Laws' life from age 22 until 39. The book explains how the author tracked down her birth family and found a husband after a number of disastrous boyfriends. It also includes some of the author's celebrity escapades.[22]
In January 2012,after an unreleased topless photo of Laws' daughter,Kayla,was posted on the revenge porn website Is Anyone Up?,Laws began an investigation of Hunter Moore,who ran the site. She contacted the FBI who launched their own investigation of Moore and his website.[25] Laws determined a large number of the photos on the site had been hacked. She contacted dozens of victims and became known as the "Erin Brockovich of revenge porn."[26][27] Laws detailed her revenge porn battle in an article published on Jezebel.[28] Her experiences were further detailed in her book,Rebel in High Heels,which was released in April 2015.[29]
Moore removed his website in the midst of the FBI investigation,but announced on November 28,2012,that he would start a new site that would include address information. This prompted Laws to make Moore's home address public on Twitter[30] and Moore threatened to ruin her life. She soon received death threats,computer viruses,and a stalker appeared at her home.[31] Internet hackers professing to be affiliated with Anonymous came to her aid,hacking into his servers and posting his personal information on the Internet.[32] The FBI arrested Hunter Moore and his hacker,Charles Evens of Studio City,California,who went under the alias of "Gary Jones",on January 23,2014. On February 18,2015,it was announced that Moore would plead guilty to federal computer hacking and identity theft charges. He faced up to 7 years in prison and a $500,000 fine. He received two and a half years in federal prison.[33] With no plea deal in place and facing 42 years in prison,Moore's hacker,Charlie Evens,confessed his crimes to CNN on tape at Laws' house during an interview that CNN was filming with Laws. The taped confession aired on April 27,2015.[34] Evens received 26 months in federal prison.[35]
On June 4,2013,Laws gave testimony before the California State Senate in favor of SB 255,a law designed to protect victims from revenge porn or "cyber rape," a term Laws coined. The bill was sponsored by State Senator Anthony Cannella of Modesto,CA[36] and was signed into law on October 1,2013,making California the second state to pass a law designed to help victims of non-consensual pornography. Until 2018,Laws was a board member of the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative (CCRI),[37][38] an organization dedicated to helping victims of online harassment.[39] Since 2012,Laws has been meeting with state and federal legislators,urging them to pass laws to protect victims.
In 2017,Speier and several other legislators,introduced the Ending Non-consensual Online User Graphic Harassment (ENOUGH) Act.,[40] A federal bill called The SHIELD Act (Stopping Harmful Image Exploitation and Limiting Distribution) was later introduced in 2019.[41] In 2022 the PROTECT Act was introduced.[42] In addition to pushing for a federal anti-revenge porn law,Laws has recently[when?] been tackling the problem of deep fake pornography and sextortion.[43][44] She claims to have assisted over 800 victims of non-consensual pornography,morphed porn (or deep fakes),and sextortion since the inception of her activism in 2012.[45][44][46]
The city government later endorsed the DAW program,spreading to approximately fifty neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Most DAWs are appointed by neighborhood councils,but the program's bylaws also allow for DAW general membership to make appointments.[60]
Laws describes the DAW program as an effort to increase the representation of animals in policy making. She elaborated,"The DAWS provide a voice and a form of political representation for nonhuman animals." This initiative is part of a broader international trend towards institutionalizing the political representation of animals and aims to expand the definition of the political community.[60]
On November 30, 2014, Laws spoke out about her "34-year-old Bill Cosby secret." In a Salon article,[73] she detailed her experiences with Cosby and a friend she calls "Sandy". Laws claims that "Sandy" was already in a long term sexual relationship with Cosby before he drugged "Sandy" in 1981 before they had sex. Laws was interviewed on the Dr. Drew On Call in December 2014 about this issue,[74] suggesting a few days later, in a Fox News interview, that Cosby has somnophilia.[75]
Gay rights activism
In March 2015, Laws came to defend the LGBTQ communities when a Southern California attorney proposed a statewide ballot initiative that permitted the execution of gays by "bullets to the head or any other convenient method."[76] The initiative was called the Sodomite Suppression Act. In response to what was seen as a vicious and repugnant attack on LGBTQ people, Laws registered a rebuttal initiative with the Attorney General's office, titled "The Intolerant Jackass Act". Laws’ proposal called for sensitivity training and a steep fine for anyone submitting a state initiative related to the killing of gays.[77] In June 2015, the initiative was cleared to move forward, but Laws said that she did not plan to gather signatures, adding "I'm glad my proposal made an impact. My intent was to send a message and support gay rights. [The proposal] has served its purpose."[78]
Personal life
Charlotte Laws in 2022 just prior to taping the Bill Schulz Mornin' Show
Laws, a former Atlanta debutante,[79] was adopted at birth. Her adoptive father was abusive, her adoptive mother committed suicide and her little brother died in a car accident.[80] She tracked down her birthparents in her late twenties.[81][82] Laws has said that she has never had a glass of alcohol or tried illegal drugs or a cigarette.[83][dead link]
Prior to acting and writing, Laws was employed in a number of other jobs. She was a cab driver, private investigator, bodyguard, backup singer for an Elvis impersonator, nurse, fashion designer, aerobics instructor, antiques shop owner, and president of a legal corporation. Laws was a lecturer for the FBI in Quantico, Virginia in 2006[87] and has also been a licensed realtor since 1987.[88]
In April 2015, Laws went public about her three-year romance with singer Tom Jones in her memoir, Rebel in High Heels. She says he was her first boyfriend and that she dated him from age 18 until age 21.[89] She married English barrister and California attorney Charles Parselle in the 1990s and has a daughter named Kayla Laws, who is an actress.[90] She calls herself a Jewish Jain.[91] Laws’ father-in-law, Thomas Parselle, was captured by the Nazis during World War II, transported to a German POW camp and witness to the notorious break-out attempt as depicted in the movie, The Great Escape.[92]
In 2012, Laws' chicken, Mae Poulet, was a write-in vice presidential candidate. A dog selected her from Tennessee to be his running mate on the Bully ticket.[93] Mae Poulet was also involved in a 2011 fundraiser with actress Natalie Portman and actor Jason Alexander to raise money for poultry in need.[91] In March 2013, Mae Poulet was inducted into the National Museum of Animals and Society.
Laws' grandfather, Tucker Moroose (a lawyer and aspiring U.S. Senator), was murdered by a devil worshipper in Fairmont, West Virginia in 1948. The story is detailed in Laws' book, Devil in the Basement.[94][95]
In July 2019, Laws admitted in an article that she committed a crime which may have violated the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act when she conspired to rescue pigeons.[96]
Laws, Charlotte. "Jains, the ALF, and the ELF: Antagonists or Allies?" Igniting a Revolution: Voices in Defense of Mother Earth, edited by Steven Best and Anthony J. Nocella. AK Press, 2006. ISBN1-904859-56-9.
Laws, Charlotte. ARMed for Ideological Warfare.
Laws, Charlotte. "The Jain Center of Southern California" A Call to Compassion: Religious Perspectives on Animal Advocacy, edited by Anthony J. Nocella and Lisa Kemmerer. Lantern Books, March 2011. ISBN978-1-59056-182-9.
Laws, Charlotte. "Omniocracy" Uncaged: Top Activists Share Their Wisdom on Effective Farm Animal Advocacy, edited by Ben Davidow. Davidow Press, March 2013. ASIN: B00C0NF36G.
Laws, Charlotte. "Recipe for Cooperation: Omniocracy and the Definitional Good." Animals and the Environment: Advocacy, activism and the quest for common ground, edited by Lisa Kemmerer. Routledge, April 28, 2015. ISBN978-1-138-82588-8.
Laws, Charlotte. "Rebel in High Heels: True story about the fearless mom who battled—and defeated—the kingpin of revenge porn and the dangerous forces of conformity." Stroud House Publishing, 2015, ISBN0-99613-351-8.
Laws, Charlotte. "Devil in the Basement: White Supremacy, Satanic Ritual, and My Family" Stroud House Publishing, 2018 ISBN978-0-9961335-3-1
Laws, Charlotte. "Undercover Debutante: The Search for my Birth Parents and a Bald Husband" Stroud House Publishing, August 2019. ISBN978-0-9961335-6-2
William Henry Cosby Jr. is an American former comedian, actor, spokesman, and media personality. Cosby gained a reputation as "America's Dad" for his portrayal of Cliff Huxtable on The Cosby Show (1984–1992). He has received numerous awards and honorary degrees throughout his career, though many of them were revoked following sexual assault allegations made against him in 2014.
Aurora Snow is an American retired pornographic actress, director, and columnist.
Gloria Rachel Allred is an American attorney known for taking high-profile and often controversial cases, particularly those involving the protection of women's rights. She has been inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.
Jessica Drake is an American pornographic actress and sex educator.
Lisa Read Bloom is an American attorney known for advising Harvey Weinstein amid various sexual abuse allegations, and for representing women whose sexual harassment claims precipitated the firing of Bill O'Reilly from Fox News.
Stephanie A. Gregory Clifford, known professionally as Stormy Daniels, is an American pornographic film actress, director and former stripper. She has won many industry awards and is a member of the NightMoves Hall of Fame, AVN Hall of Fame and XRCO Hall of Fame. In 2009, a recruitment effort led her to consider challenging incumbent David Vitter in the 2010 Senate election in her native Louisiana.
Tracey Lynn Livermore, known professionally as Brandi Love, is an American pornographic actress. She is a member of the AVN and XRCO Halls of Fame.
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Bryan Matthew Sevilla, known professionally by the stage name James Deen, is an American pornographic actor and director.
Is Anyone Up? was a pornographic website based on stolen and hacked photos that ceased operation in 2012. It allowed users to submit photographs or videos anonymously, mainly nude, erotic, and sexually explicit images. The site was closely associated with the metalcore and post-hardcore music scene, also featuring and depicting numerous nude photos of musicians of these genres.
Hunter Edward Moore is an American convicted criminal from Sacramento, California. Rolling Stone called him "the most hated man on the Internet." In 2010, he created the revenge porn website Is Anyone Up? which allowed users to post sexually explicit photos of people online without their consent, often accompanied by personal information such as their names and addresses. He refused to take down pictures on request. Moore called himself "a professional life ruiner" and compared himself to Charles Manson. The website was up for 16 months, during which Moore stated several times he was protected by the same laws that protect Facebook. Moore also paid a hacker to break into email accounts of victims and steal private photos to post.
Revenge porn is the distribution of sexually explicit images or videos of individuals without their consent. The material may have been made by a partner in an intimate relationship with the knowledge and consent of the subject at the time, or it may have been made without their knowledge. The subject may have experienced sexual violence during the recording of the material, in some cases facilitated by narcotics such as date rape drugs which also cause a reduced sense of pain and involvement in the sexual act, dissociative effects and amnesia. The possession of the material may be used by the perpetrators to blackmail the subjects into performing other sexual acts, to coerce them into continuing a relationship or to punish them for ending one, to silence them, to damage their reputation, and/or for financial gain. In the wake of civil lawsuits and the increasing numbers of reported incidents, legislation has been passed in a number of countries and jurisdictions to outlaw the practice, though approaches have varied and been changed over the years. The practice has also been described as a form of psychological abuse and domestic violence, as well as a form of sexual abuse.
In late 2014, multiple allegations emerged that Bill Cosby, an American media personality, had sexually assaulted dozens of women throughout his career. Cosby was well known in the United States for his eccentric image, and gained a reputation as "America's Dad" for his portrayal of Cliff Huxtable on The Cosby Show (1984–1992). He received numerous awards and honorary degrees throughout his career, many of which have since been revoked.
Pornhub is a Canadian-owned internet pornography video-sharing website, one of several owned by adult entertainment conglomerate Aylo. As of February 2024, Pornhub is the 13th-most-visited website in the world and the second-most-visited adult website, after XVideos.
Mary Anne Franks is an American legal scholar, author, activist, and media commentator. She is a professor of law and the Eugene L. and Barbara A. Bernard Professor in Intellectual Property, Technology, and Civil Rights Law at George Washington University Law School, where her areas of expertise and teaching include First Amendment law, Second Amendment law, criminal law, criminal procedure, family law, and law and technology. She also serves as president and Legislative and Technology Policy Director of the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative. Prior to joining the faculty at George Washington University Law School, Professor Franks was the Michael R. Klein Distinguished Scholar Chair and Professor of Law at the University of Miami School of Law.
Cecilia Marcellina Vega is an American journalist and news correspondent for 60 Minutes. Prior to that she was the Chief White House Correspondent for ABC News. Vega also worked at the local news affiliate KGO-TV in San Francisco, where she was awarded an Emmy in 2010. The next year, she joined ABC News, first working as a Los Angeles-based correspondent. In 2015, she became the Saturday news anchor for ABC World News Tonight. Vega vacated the position to become the network's senior White House Correspondent, and also hosted Good Morning America.
Charlotte Pence Bond is an American writer who is the second child and elder daughter of former Vice President of the United States, Mike Pence and former Second Lady of the United States, Karen Pence.
Carrie Goldberg is an American lawyer specializing in sex crimes with her law firm C.A. Goldberg PLLC. She has represented: five clients who described sexual abuse committed by Harvey Weinstein; the former Democrat Member of Congress Katie Hill after her naked photos were published in the media; and the author Emma Cline after an ex-partner sued for plagiarism. Her legal cases with low-profile individuals—involving revenge porn, intimate partner violence and online abuse—often draw national media attention.
Katherine Lauren Hill is an American former politician and social services administrator from Agua Dulce, California. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as the U.S. representative for California's 25th congressional district from January to November 2019. Hill is the former executive director of People Assisting the Homeless (PATH), a statewide non-profit organization working to end homelessness throughout California. She won her seat by defeating incumbent Republican Steve Knight in the 2018 midterm elections.
The Most Hated Man on the Internet is a 2022 American three-part Netflix docuseries that covers the story of Hunter Moore and his website Is Anyone Up?, a pornographic site based on stolen and hacked photos, and the struggle to take the website down. It focuses on the story of Charlotte Laws as she tries to remove her daughter's nude photos from the website.
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