A Republican state representative from Kentucky and Survivor star almost legalized first cousin incest, but has since admitted he made a mistake in his new bill.
Nick Wilson, 33, introduced House Bill 269 to the House Committee on Committees on Tuesday. The bill sought to “remove first cousins from the list of familial relationships” considered incest in the state.
He has since redacted it and admitted that he made a mistake by stating that the purpose of the bill was to close a loophole in the area of sexual abuse. The edited version has not yet been posted on the state's Legislative Research Commission website.
“The purpose of the bill is to include “sexual contact” in the incest law. Currently, incest only applies to sexual intercourse. Sexual touching/groping by uncles, stepfathers or people with a family relationship is not considered incest, Wilson said in a Facebook post.
The bill goes on to say that incest by sexual contact would be reduced to a Class D felony unless the victim is under 12 years old, in which case it would be a Class C felony. Wilson confirmed that part of the Bill is correct.
Nick Wilson, 33, has admitted he made a mistake in the new bill he proposed on Tuesday. The bill would remove first cousins from the list that defines incest in Kentucky
The original version of the new law crossed out the words “first cousin” from the state's official list of family members guilty of incest
Wilson is pictured with his wife in September
“The fact that I was able to submit an invoice, identify the error, withdraw it and resubmit it within 24 hours shows that we have a good system in place,” Wilson said.
The original version of the bill also proposed changing the definition of “violent offender” to include a person “convicted of incest through sexual contact,” but it is unclear whether this is part of the error or not.
Current Kentucky law states that a person is guilty of incest if they engage in sexual activity with a person who is “their parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, great-grandparent, great-grandchild, uncle, aunt, nephew or niece.” is 'brother, sister, first cousin, ancestor or descendant.'
Wilson sent a link to his statement on Facebook in which he admitted his mistake and said: “I'm sorry to tell you it's not the most sensational article.”
When the bill was first released on Tuesday, Wilson faced almost immediate criticism for his proposal.
Fellow Survivor winner and New York public defender Eliza Orlins released a reaction video on social media.
Orlins began by saying that Wilson “used the fame he gained from winning as a survivor to run for and get elected as the Kentucky State Legislature.”
“Nick Wilson not only supports but has introduced a bill that would reclassify incest in the state of Kentucky.”
In 2022, he became a Kentucky state representative
Wilson posted on Facebook Wednesday admitting he made a mistake in his proposed legislation
Before becoming a state representative, Wilson was a public defender who starred on the CBS reality TV series Survivor, winning season 37 in 2018
“This is Nick’s top legislative priority,” Orlins said.
She then urged her followers to “flood his office.” [with phone calls] to make this story known.'
Before becoming a state representative, Wilson was a public defender and starred on the CBS reality television series Survivor. He won Season 37 in 2018 and placed seventh upon his return in 2020.
Wilson married in September 2020 and recently welcomed a baby boy with his wife. In 2022, he became a Kentucky state representative.
There are only two states in the county that have legalized incest, Rhode Island and New Jersey, where incest between adults is allowed.
In Rhode Island, consensual incest is legal if the person is 16 or older. In New Jersey it is legal if the person is 18 years old or older.
Although the act is legal in these states, incest through marriage is not permitted.