A Kentucky Republican introduced legislation that would amend the state's law so a person who had sex with their first cousin would no longer be criminally liable for incest, before withdrawing it and claiming an error was made during the drafting process.
House Bill 269, which state Representative Nick Wilson sponsored, was introduced on January 16 to the House Committee on Committees. According to the Kentucky General Assembly website, it would have struck "first cousin from the list of familial relationships" defined as unlawful incest in the state. In a statement sent to Newsweek, Wilson described this as a "mistake" in a wider bill intended to extend legal protection against incest, which he'd withdrawn and refiled leaving the "first cousin" reference in place.
Wilson, then a 27-year-old public defender, first shot to prominence when he won the 37th season of the CBS reality TV show Survivor in 2018, called Survivor: David vs. Goliath, before returning for the 40th season, featuring the winners from previous shows in 2020. In November 2022, Wilson ran unopposed for the 82nd District of the Kentucky House after Republican incumbent Regina Huff retired.
Kentucky law states that a person is guilty of incest if they engage in sexual relations with a person they know to be "his or her parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, great-grandparent, great-grandchild, uncle, aunt, nephew, niece, brother, sister, first cousin, ancestor, or descendent." The initial amendment introduced by Wilson, if passed, would have removed first cousin from this list.
Both the initial and updated version of Wilson's bill would also amend Kentucky law on parole for violent offenders to include a person "who has been convicted of incest by sexual contact" within the definition.
In a statement provided to Newsweek, Wilson described the part in his initial legislation removing first cousins from the illegal incest list as a mistake that had since been rectified.
He commented: "I filed HB 269 yesterday. The purpose of the bill is to add 'sexual contact' to the incest statute. Currently, incest only applies in cases of intercourse. So sexual touching/groping by uncles, stepdads or anyone with a familial relationship is not included in incest. My bill makes that kind of sexual contact a Class D Felony, unless the victim is under the age of 12, then it increases the penalty to a Class C Felony.
"During the drafting process, there was an inadvertent change, which struck 'first cousins' from the list of relationships included under the incest statute, and I failed to add it back in. During today's session, I will withdraw HB 269 and refile a bill with the 'first cousin' language intact. The fact that I was able to file a bill, catch the mistake, withdraw the bill and refile within a 24-hour period shows that we have a good system.
"This is a bill to combat a problem of familial and cyclical abuse that transcends generations of Kentuckians. I understand that I made a mistake, but I sincerely hope my mistake doesn't hurt the chances of the corrected version of the bill. It is a good bill, and I hope it will get a second chance."
Wilson's initial bill was called "truly insane" by Eliza Orlins, a New York public defender who previously appeared as a contestant on Survivor: Vanuatu and Survivor: Micronesia.
In a nearly two minute TikTok video, also shared on her X account, Orlins said: "Oh my God I've got some wild news...This news relates to David vs. Goliath winner of Survivor Nick Wilson, who then leveraged the fame he obtained from winning Survivor to run for Kentucky state legislator and got elected.
"Nick Wilson is not only supporting but has introduced a bill that would reclassify incest in the state of Kentucky to not include your own first cousin. Kentucky, like so many other places, is facing a lot of issues, and this is Nick's top legislative priority."
Orlins urged her followers to "reach out to anyone you know in Kentucky and tell them to flood his office [with phone calls] and make this story known."
In August 2021, webcomic creator and YouTuber Christine Weston Chandler, also known as Chris Chan, was arrested on a charge of incest in Virginia and later caused a stir by stamping their feet repeatedly in court to disrupt proceedings. The case was dismissed in August 2023.
French survivors of incest spoke out online in January 2021 using the hashtag #MeTooInceste after prominent lawyer Camille Kouchner alleged that her stepfather, a high-profile political scientist, sexually abused her as a child.
Update 1/18/24, 2:42 a.m. ET: This story has been updated with a statement from Rep. Nick Wilson and to note he has withdrawn the original bill and filed an update leaving first cousins within the legal definition on incest.
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James Bickerton is a Newsweek U.S. News reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is covering U.S. politics and world ... Read more
