A Republican Kentucky state lawmaker on Tuesday decided to moderate his stance on allowing exceptions in cases involving incest, specifically by allowing sexual relations between first cousins as an exception to laws against incest, Newsweek reports from the state that elected James Comer.
State Representative Nick Wilson – a 2018 Survivor reality show champ – on Wednesday claimed that it was a mistake, even though it affirmatively crossed out “first cousin” from a list of familial relationships for which non-intercourse sexual contact can be charged as a felony offense.
“The purpose of the bill is to add sexual contact to the incest statute. Currently, incest only applies in cases of intercourse. So we’re seeing cases of sexual touching, groping, those sorts of sexual activities by uncles, stepdads, people with those familial relationships… and they’re not included in the incest statute,” Wilson said of the bill’s plainly noble-enough intent. “Obviously, the stereotypes or jokes that may come with it… it’s a little embarrassing, but I can take it if that’s what it takes for me to pass a good law and protect people, that’s fine. That’s the job I have. What I would hope is that it doesn’t lessen the importance of the actual issue I’m facing and, [if] people want to make memes or jokes, that it’s directed at me and not victims of child abuse or sexual abuse.”