The Massachusetts Senate took a major step toward making revenge porn illegal in the state.On Thursday, the State Senate unanimously passed a bill 40-0 that would outlaw the practice of sharing explicit content without the subject’s consent.Massachusetts is one of two states in the U.S. that currently does not have a specific law against revenge porn. The other is South Carolina.”It’s been a really long journey for Massachusetts to not have passed this law already, so I’m really excited to see it’s finally getting to that point and that survivors will now have recourse for this horrific crime,” said Kelsey Feyler, who was victimized by revenge porn.State Sen. John Keenan, a Democrat representing the Norfolk and Plymouth District, sponsors the bill that addresses various forms of revenge porn.”With the bill, we address what would look like an image of somebody — something that’s been generated through artificial intelligence — that’s shared for the same purpose in the same way with the same result,” Keenan said.Alex Hagerty was among the revenge porn victims at the Massachusetts State House on Wednesday to advocate for the State Senate to pass the bill. He said he considered suicide after learning he had been victimized online.”My world really went black. It’s a physical toll, but, more importantly, it’s the emotional toll,” Hagerty said. “For anyone out there who has been a victim of revenge porn, I want them to know that their life matters. You are in control of your destiny, and today is a step in the right direction.”Earlier this year, the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed its own version of a bill addressing revenge porn. Now, a joint committee will work to resolve the differences between the House and Senate bills so a final piece of legislation can be sent to Gov. Maura Healey to be signed into law.”We share the same goal, which is to get this to the governor’s desk to give closure for people and send a message that we’re not going to stand for this anymore in the Commonwealth,” Keenan said.The Massachusetts Legislature’s last day for formal sessions is July 31.

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