In the first case of its kind on England and Wales, lesbian YouTube celebrity Chrissy Chambers has successfully sued her male former partner for posting online videos of her.
Along with her partner Bria Kam, Chambers is one of the most popular lesbian content creators on YouTube.
https://twitter.com/BriaandChrissy/status/953638363977994241
32-year-old Chambers sued the man for harassment, breach of confidence and misuse of private information, after learning that the Crown Prosecution Service would not pursue criminal charges, reports the Guardian.
RELATED: Gay People Are More Likely To Be Victims of Revenge Porn: STUDY
Before she came out, Chambers was in a relationship with the British man. The high court heard on Wednesday that he filmed several videos of them having sex Chambers' knowledge or informed consent.
Two years after they ended the relationship he uploaded them to a free porn site. The videos have since been shared and viewed hundreds of thousands of times.
Although it has been illegal since 2015 in England to post private sexual images online without consent, the videos were uploaded in 2011. Chambers brought the civil case in March 2016, settling out of court in December 2017.
Today love won, in more ways than one. Our amazing client Chrissy Chambers said it best herself: “You CAN fight back and win. You will heal and move on – and you will not have to take these steps alone”. With today's win in court, #TimesUp on #revengeporn! pic.twitter.com/fFrgYPk3Fm
— Dr. Ann Olivarius (@AnnOlivarius) January 17, 2018
Speaking outside the court, Chambers said:
“We have been able to set a legal precedent that should serve as a severe warning to those who seek to extort and harm with revenge porn: you cannot do this with impunity, and you will be held accountable for your actions.
“For anyone who has been living in fear of revenge porn used against you, there has never been a better time to come forward.”
Her lawyer, Georgina Calvert-Lee at McAllister Olivarius, said:
“Victims of revenge porn always tell us of their humiliation and shame. Their identities have been stolen and distorted and they think they are powerless to do anything about it. Their attackers – those who have violated their trust and posted their images, or copied and shared them, or profited off them – bank on this humiliation and sense of powerlessness.
“Chrissy Chambers' case shows that victims of revenge porn need feel powerless no more … All they need do is use the law to stop the revenge porn, and the industry that feeds off it, and take back control of their image and their identity.”
Along with undisclosed significant damages, Chambers was awarded copyright of the videos. She can now pursue any websites that host them. Her ex-boyfriend apologized for his actions.
Watch an ABC report below.
