By The Special Guests Publicity Service
SEXTING’ MAY BE LEGALIZED IN VERMONT
Lawmakers in Vermont are considering legalizing “Sexting,” the transmittal of graphic sexual images by way of cell phones and other electronic devices, for minors who wish to exploit themselves.
Disney High School Musical actress Vanessa Hudgens is still trying to live down the scandal of her nude pictures ending up online, when they were meant for her boyfriend.
Teenagers under current law could be prosecuted as sex offenders for sending sexual images of themselves – even if it the exchange was consensual. A state House committee is scheduled to hear additional testimony on sexting later in the week.
So, what’s the big deal if a “fringe 1%” of our population engages in such activity?
Sad to say the numbers are far higher than 1%. In fact, a recent poll shows that a whopping 18 percent of female students nationwide say they’ve participated in sexting. (See article below.)
Conducting Talk Show interviews on this touchy topic are your choice of either of two guests: Morality in Media President Robert Peters, or Ms. Dallas Jessup, a 17-year-old teen activist and creator of the film, Just Yell Fire, which teaches young women how to fight back against sexual assault and recently hit the 1,000,000 download mark in the month of April that is also Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Dallas has been featured on the Today Show and Good Morning America.
Interview guests: Robert Peters in Eastern Time and Dallas Jessup in Pacific Time
ABOUT YOUR EXPERT GUEST, DALLAS JESSUP
InTouch Weekly calls 17-year-old Dallas Jessup a SuperTeen, People magazine says she delivers Big Results, and USA Today covered her 2008 induction into the Hall of Fame for Caring Americans in Washington, DC.
The black belt martial artist and CNN Hero has been featured on ABC News, the Today Show, Good Morning America and in scores of other media outlets. She’s an honor student and the youngest senior at Portland’s all-girls St. Mary’s Academy. Ms. Jessup plans to attend Vanderbilt University in the fall. Dallas is the Founder and Spokesperson of the nonprofit group, Just Yell Fire that has outreaches in 41 countries.
Quite a fundraiser, Dallas raised over $500,000 in cash and services to produce her film that teaches girls no-rules self defense to get away from even the most frightening situations. Dallas has traveled throughout the US and India speaking at conferences, schools and Universities, training teachers and students, and raising awareness to audiences of 50 to 2,500 attendees.
ABOUT ROBERT PETERS
Robert Peter is President of Morality in Media. He has been a guest on many television programs including three times on Larry King. He has been a diligent warrior in the fight against indecency for over two decades.
Headquartered in New York City, Morality In Media (MIM) works through constitutional means to curb traffic in illegal obscenity. MIM operates the www.obscenitycrimes.org website, where citizens can report possible violations of federal Internet obscenity laws.
Established in New York City in 1962 to combat pornography, Morality In Media works to inform citizens and public officials about the harms of pornography and about what they can do through law to protect their communities and children. MIM also works to maintain standards of decency on TV and in other media. Contributions are tax-exempt.
THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE MAY BE HELPFUL WITH SHOW PREP:
WCBSTV.com/ Apr 14, 2009
Vermont Lawmakers Look To Legalize Teen “Sexting”: Under Current Law, Teens Who Text Message Explicit Photos Could Be Prosecuted As Sex Offenders
Text messaging graphic pictures of yourself could soon be legal for teens in Vermont.
Lawmakers there are considering a bill that would make it legal for teenagers 18 and under to exchange explicit photos and videos of themselves – an act that’s come to be known by teens as “sexting.”
Under the current law, teenagers could be prosecuted as sex offenders if they get caught sending graphic sexual images of themselves, even if it was consensual.
A state House committee will hear more testimony on it later this week.
In a recent study, 18 percent of female students nationwide say they’ve tried sexting.
New York City student Stefanie Garcia is only in high school, and says sexting happens all the time.
“Girls in underwear, guys completely naked, muscle pictures, stuff like that,” Garcia told CBS 2.
Actress Vanessa Hudgens is still trying to live down the scandal of her nude pictures ending up on-line, when they were meant for her boyfriend.
“It’ll get there in like 30 seconds. The world can know about anything,” high school senior Juli Ssacontreras said.
Ssacontreras says sexting is like paparazzi for teenagers and it’s not just nude pictures that are being sent.
“People using drugs, of people being drunk, maybe doing some other illegal activities,” she said.
Karen Salmansohn is an expert on talking with teenagers about smart choices. She writes books to empower girls, and says parents need to talk to their kids about the dangers of sexting – using their language.
“Don’t talk to them in language saying this is right this is wrong. That’s not going to get to a kid,” Salmansohn said.
“You have to talk them, you know what you think is cool isn’t so cool. You have to use the language of cool because that’s why they’re doing it.”
Tell them that once that embarrassing pictures goes out, there’s no way to get it off the Internet, and could affect their college and future job opportunities when recruiters search the Web. They’re also up for grabs for sexual predators. By law, sexually explicit pictures of anyone under 18 are considered child pornography.
The head of wiredsafety.org, says minors can be charged with child pornography, so parents need to call police if an explicit picture of your child is on the Internet. If you don’t get action, contact your attorney general’s office.
Posted on April 15, 2009