Gabrielle Union is not keeping quiet about the naked photos leaked of her and several other celebrity women.
The actress penned an essay for Cosmopolitan revealing that she found out about the hack the day after her and Dwayne Wade’s wedding and that they were released on her honeymoon.
“I called my reps and attorneys, pleading, ‘Get the photos taken down,’” she wrote. “They said it takes time — the shots were spreading fast, to some 50 sites within the first few hours … I thought, this is a targeted attack, a hate crime against women.”
The photos that were stolen from Apple’s icloud included private images of Union, Meagan Good, Rihanna and Jennifer Lawrence, among others.
Union, who has been vocal about sexual abuse in her past touched on the similarities of the situations and why she has chosen to speak out, “I was raised to speak up.” she wrote.
When it comes to the African American women that were targeted Union had a response for that as well, “The first draft of my statement was pretty furious — somewhere between Louis Farrakhan and Gloria Allred. I finessed it and released it with my husband that night. I said, among other things, “I can’t help but be reminded that since the dawn of time, women and children, specifically women of color, have been victimized, and the power over their own bodies taken from them.” For black women targeted in this attack, there’s an added dimension.”
In addition to questioning the security of private information on Apple’s icloud, Union also had a few question regarding the support of women’s groups, “I also want to know: Where are all the women’s groups, the feminists, demanding justice in this case? The silence is deafening. Any time you lose control over your body, it’s a violation and a crime … [S]ome of the stolen photos reportedly depict women when they were underage — that’s child pornography. I hope people think about all these things when they consider clicking on these private images.”
The full essay appears in this month’s issue of Cosmopolitan Magazine.