The first trans legislator in history, guilty of possessing child pornography and child abuse
Compartir:
Stacie-Marie Laughton, former legislator from the state of New Hampshire and the first openly transgender person elected to a legislative office in United States history, pleaded guilty to federal child sexual abuse charges.
According to WMUR, the 41-year-old former representative admitted her responsibility in a federal court in Boston. The charges include sexual exploitation of minors and possession of child abuse material. Authorities detailed that the events date back to a 2022 scheme involving nude photographs of children under five years old.
El primer legislador trans de la historia enfrenta cargos federales por degenerado
The case
According to the investigation, Laughton worked alongside her ex-girlfriend, Lindsay Groves, who was employed at a daycare called Creative Minds in Tyngsboro, Massachusetts. Groves took several explicit photos of young children and sent them to Laughton while she was still serving as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives.
Lindsay Groves utilizó su puesto en la guardería para tomar las fotos ilegales
A 2022 court file details that Groves took four photographs of children under five years old, which she then shared with the former legislator. The prosecution keeps that Laughton and Groves exchanged thousands of text messages during that period.
From political banner to judicial scandal
Laughton was elected in 2012 as the first openly transgender person to access a state legislature. However, her political career was marked by legal troubles. Shortly after her election, she announced that she would not take office due to previous felony convictions for credit card fraud.
She tried to run again in 2014, but the New Hampshire Ballot Law Commission rejected her candidacy due to an active suspended sentence. It was not until 2020 that she managed to return to politics and was again elected to represent district 31 in the state House.
La ex legisladora del estado de New Hampshire, Stacie-Marie Laughton, se declaró culpable por abuso sexual infantil.
Although Laughton was considered a pioneer, she was not the first trans person to hold an elected office in the U.S. That distinction belongs to Althea Garrison, elected as a state representative in Massachusetts in 1992, although in her case she lied to her electorate and did not publicly identify as trans until after the elections.
Next steps
Laughton now faces a possible sentence of between 15 and 30 years in prison, in addition to fines and lifetime supervision. The date of her sentencing has not yet been confirmed by the court.
The case shocked American public opinion due to the gravity of the events and for involving a figure who was once a symbol of inclusion and diversity in politics.
