Susanna Gibson · Author, advocate, founder of MyOwn
Naming image-based abuse for what it is, and changing the laws that let it happen. Call it what it is.
Nurse practitioner. Former candidate. Survivor turned expert on image-based sexual abuse, sexually explicit deepfakes and the policy that is finally catching up.
Author of Call It What It Is. Richmond, Virginia. Founder of MyOwn, est. 2024.
Coverage and commentary in
- The New York Times
- The Washington Post
- The Associated Press
- CNN
- NBC News
- NewsNation
- 404 Media
- The 19th
The book
Call It What It Is
Image-based abuse, deepfakes, and the laws that let them happen. A clear-eyed account of image-based sexual abuse, the people it targets, and the laws that are finally catching up.
Written by someone who lived it, litigated the language, and then wrote the model legislation. Preorder now and be first to read it.
The work
Law, support, and the culture that shapes both.
MyOwn works across three fronts: comprehensive state legislation, support for survivors, and public education that changes how image-based abuse is understood.
Comprehensive legal frameworks
Survivor support services
Community outreach and public education
On air
Could the 'Take It Down Act' be misused?
Susanna Gibson joins NewsNation to discuss her nonprofit, My Own Image, which fights the spread of nonconsensual intimate images, including AI deepfakes.
NewsNation, March 8, 2025
Resources
Start here.
Everything MyOwn has published, organized by what you need: the vocabulary, the policy, and the guidance for newsrooms.
Press
Recent coverage.
Distributing intimate images without consent isn’t just a crime, it’s a threat to democracy
For the last year, South Carolina has stood alone as the only state without laws protecting victims of nonconsensual distribution of intimate images, or NDII. That’s finally changing.
Open
Ramirez bill would make posting sexually explicit images of a candidate a crime
Podcast: How Politician Turned Advocate Susanna Gibson Battles Non-Consensual Imagery
Virginia could lead the way on strengthening privacy laws regarding intimate images
Bipartisan push to combat nonconsensual sharing of intimate images
Va. lawmakers plan to introduce bill to combat image-based sexual abuse
Speaking and consulting
Bring the conversation to your stage, newsroom or platform.
Keynotes, panels, trainings and policy advising on image-based abuse, deepfakes and intimate privacy, delivered with the credibility of lived experience and the precision of model legislation.
Keynotes
30 to 60 minutes, from a personal story to a policy roadmap.
Panels and interviews
Fireside chats, moderated conversations and broadcast commentary.
Trainings and workshops
Half-day sessions for newsrooms, trust and safety teams and advocates.
Policy consulting
Bill language, enforcement and survivor-centered design.
“Revenge porn” blames the victim and misnames the crime. Call it what it is.
From the book