A Kentucky lawmaker introduced a bill Tuesday to decriminalize sex between first cousins.
Republican Kentucky state Rep. Nick Wilson sponsored House Bill 269 to redefine sex with a first cousin so it would no longer qualify as an act of incest, according to the Kentucky State Assembly’s website.
The bill removes “first cousin from the list of familial relationships” defined as unlawful incest in Kentucky, the website explained. Incest would also be downgraded from a Class C felony to a Class D “unless it is committed with a person who is less than twelve years of age.”
Kentucky law currently states that a person is guilty of incest if they have sex with any person known to be “his or her parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, great-grandparent, great-grandchild, uncle, aunt, nephew, niece, brother, sister, first cousin, ancestor, or descendent,” according to Newsweek.
Wilson’s bill has been widely criticized on social media. New York public defender Eliza Orlins blasted the proposed incest law as “truly insane” in a nearly two-minute TikTok video, urging Kentuckians to “flood his office” with phone calls. (RELATED: Zoo Manatee Dies In Gay Incest Incident)
“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 said.
@elizaorlins KY LEGISLATOR AND SURVIVOR WINNER NICK WILSON IS SPONSORING A BILL TO RECLASSIFY INCEST TO NOT INCLUDE YOUR OWN COUSIN. #kyleg #greenscreen #survivor #cbssurvivor #politics ♬ original sound – Eliza Orlins
Wilson won an unopposed election for the 82nd District of the Kentucky House in Nov. 2022, according to the outlet. He also won the 37th season of CBS reality TV show “Survivor: David vs Goliath” in 2018 and returned for the franchise’s 40th season in 2020.
Orlins also competed in “Survivor,” she noted in her video.