Two months after being involved in a massive nude photo leak that targeted celebrities, Gabrielle Union has opened up about her experiences and the gross violation of privacy she has encountered. During the Fun Fearless Life conference in New York City, the actress talked at length about what she went through. “I didn’t do anything wrong—no matter what people describe to me, ‘It’s your fault, you’re stupid to take nude photos, that’s what happens when you’re a celebrity’—all this nonsense… they’re criminals,” she said. “What you do with your own body is your choice. Period. There’s no gray matter there. And when someone takes your choice away and your power away over your own body, it’s a crime. Period. A hacking scandal? We’re lessening it, making it more palatable for mass consumption, but it’s a crime.”
Union found out about the hacking the day after her wedding with NBA star Dwyane Wade. “The day after my wedding, we were all sitting around, rehashing the best day of my life, and I get a text from my team that there’s an article that over 100 female celebrities had been targeted.” The photos were leaked online three weeks later.
“What you do with your body is your choice; when someone takes that, it’s a crime.” – @itsgabrielleu #FunFearlessLife pic.twitter.com/JSlXWl5gcX
— Cosmopolitan (@Cosmopolitan) November 9, 2014
Union wrote a piece for Cosmopolitan’s December 2014 issue called “My Nude Photos Were stolen, and I’m Fighting Back”. In it she issued a call to arms of sorts and said, “Any time you lose control over your body, it’s a violation and a crime. In addition, some 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 attack targeted over a hundred women. According to Union, the fact that they were celebrities shouldn’t change how we look at this crime. Union has contacted the FBI about the matter, but the culprits behind the attack have yet to be arrested.