Her story
From a campaign to a cause.
Susanna Gibson is a Nurse Practitioner and the 2023 Democratic nominee for the 57th district in the Virginia House of Delegates, who endured a devastating ordeal towards the end of her campaign that began with learning from legacy media reporters that her private moments with her husband had been illegally recorded and circulated on dark web pornography sites without her knowledge or consent.
Political adversaries found these illegal recordings and then distributed them to multiple news outlets aiming to coerce her withdrawal from the race. Despite months of relentless online abuse and threats of violence both in person and online, Susanna refused to be silenced by these tactics and crimes and emerged from her ordeal determined to prevent others from similar abuse. She founded MyOwn, an organization committed to combating technology-faciliated violence and abuse, image-based sexual abuse, and disinformation, in direct response to her experience.
Susanna's compelling story garnered global attention, with widespread media coverage of her experience with misinformation and image-based sexual abuse. She has shared her story and insights through numerous appearances on podcasts, television interviews, and newspaper features, serving as a beacon of resilience and empowerment. Recognized as an expert voice in the fight against Image-Based Sexual Abuse, Susanna has been sought after for commentary and quotes by esteemed publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Associated Press.
