crimes and misdemeanors

People in Massachusetts Lose Right to Take Up-Skirt Shots

People entering and leaving the Red Line subway station in Boston, MA where the subway is known as the T.
People entering and leaving the Red Line subway station in Boston, MA where the subway is known as the T. Photo: Eunice Harris/Getty Images

Eager to show they’re not that liberal, on Thursday, the Massachusetts legislature passed a bill outlawing taking “up-skirt” photos in public. Just a day earlier, the state’s highest court ruled that an accused Peeping Tom didn’t violate the law because technically the women he photographed on an MBTA trolley were clothed. Under the new law, which Governor Deval Patrick’s aide said he will sign, taking “up-skirt” pics will be punishable by more than two years in prison or a $5,000 fine. The Boston Globe noted that the bill “rocketed” through the legislature with “uncommon speed,” so rest assured that lawmakers can act with extreme haste (when presented with something gross that should have already been illegal).

Massachusetts Ends Right to Take Up-Skirt Shots