First cousins would no longer be included in Kentucky’s criminal incest law under a bill filed by a Republican lawmaker Tuesday.
House Bill 269, sponsored by Rep. Nick Wilson of Williamsburg, strikes through “first cousins” from the list of familial relatives it is illegal for an individual to have sex with. Other relatives that remain in the statute include parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and siblings.
Wilson’s bill quickly went viral on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, thanks to a combination of the bill’s content, stereotypes about Kentucky and the sponsor’s reality TV background.
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Wilson, an attorney, won “Survivor: David vs. Goliath,” the 37th season of the CBS competition, in 2018.
A request for comment from a spokesperson for House GOP lawmakers was not immediately returned Wednesday morning. Wilson also did not cast votes at the Judiciary Committee meeting Wednesday morning, which he is a member of.
In addition to removing cousins from the incest statute, Wilson’s bill would expand the definition of incest to include “engages in sexual contact” with in addition to the already codified “sexual intercourse” and “deviate sexual intercourse.”
Such “sexual contact” would be a Class D felony, unless the victim is under age 12, at which point it becomes a Class C felony.
Intercourse, if committed by “consenting persons,” would remain a Class C felony.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
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