Today we’d like to introduce you to Charlotte Laws.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I always wanted to be a “voice,” offering unique views, pushing for important causes and contributing to the marketplace of ideas in a meaningful way. I have been able realize this dream via writing books and articles, working as a TV pundit and doing nonprofit activism—although there is, of course, always more to be done. Yes, I said the four-letter word: “activism.” For decades, I viewed an activist as someone who had not bathed for months and who ran through the streets with a sign, screaming at passersby. I was an advocate, gosh darn! But today, I embrace my “inner activist.” Striving to make things better in an active way is a worthy goal for all of us.
My first writing success came in my 20s when I authored the best-selling motivational book, Meet the Stars—a how-to manual on party crashing. I did signings at bookstores, appeared on dozens of morning shows and snagged national interviews on Oprah, Larry King Live, The Late Show, et al. The thrust of my message involved “life crashing,” or being bold and achieving one’s goals in unexpected and creative ways.
After this, I became a serial student, attaining two BA degrees, two master’s degrees and a doctorate from USC. This was followed by an encore of post-graduate work at Oxford University. My obsession with learning may have stemmed from my inferiority complex (always feeling stupid) or from a subconscious fear of success. Whatever the case, a friend yanked me out of the Bermuda Triangle of academia when he asked, “When are you going to stop studying and start doing?” Yikes, he was right. I quit school and plunged into “doing.”
I began hosting my own public access show, Uncommon Sense. My guests and I analyzed news and current events, primarily zeroing in on odd or unexplored perspectives. News anchor, Fred Roggin, saw an episode and invited me to be a regular pundit on his NBC program, The Filter. I was euphoric! We discussed four topics per show—the sorts of things kicked around by CNN, MSNBC and Fox News. We were on-air for four years; one of my episodes was nominated for an Emmy. Yes, I am officially an “Emmy Award loser.”
At that time, I began penning op-eds on various subjects from the serious and policy-oriented to the funny and frivolous. I wrote about medical paternalism, landlords, clean money elections, zoning laws, the sprinkler police, the Las Vegas clown convention and the Miss Hooker Beauty Pageant. My pieces appeared in a wide range of publications, such as Huffington Post, the LA Times, the Washington Post, Salon, and the NY Daily News.
TV producers often obtain their “experts” from op-eds, so I was invited to jump on the guest-appearance treadmill. My sneakers and I were raring to go! The BBC even made me a regular political pundit on their network. I was tasked with analyzing American politics for those blokes across the pond. I loved feeling like I was making an impact. I did not love staying up to the wee hours of the morning to make that impact. (The UK is eight hours ahead of Los Angeles.)
Throughout this period, I authored additional books: Devil in the Basement (a true story about my grandpa who was murdered by a devil worshiper) and Undercover Debutante and Rebel in High Heels (both humor-filled memoirs). And I contributed chapters to academic works, primarily on animal liberation and environmentalism.
During all this time, I was fully immersed in the activism that I spoke about earlier. Fighting prejudice has always been my passion, so my volunteerism has revolved around civil rights, LGBTQ rights, animal rights and women’s rights. I have learned that “othercentrism” or focusing on others (both people and animals) is the key to happiness.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
My childhood in Atlanta was rocky; it could be called an ugly crag of dysfunctionality. My adoptive father was abusive, my adoptive mother committed suicide and my adopted little brother was killed in a car accident. The upper-class community in which I was raised was snobby, old-money and anti-minority. I was bullied, called an n—- lover and kicked in the shins at school. I yearned to escape. I eventually moved to California with only $500 where I started on society’s bottom rung. I worked as an unpaid maid, receiving room and board. There was only one way to go: up. I turned to perseverance, which I have since discovered is the key to success.
As for my getting my books published, it took more than perseverance; it took creativity. I refused to leave the fate of my projects in the hands of the “postal worker gods,” so I gatecrashed publishing houses with my manuscript in hand. I schmoozed underlings when they came down the elevators for lunch and convinced them to take me upstairs and introduce me to the big-wigs.
My ability to gatecrash also came in handy when lobbying politicians at pricey fundraisers, when getting donations for causes and when snagging interviews. For example, I would sneak into the Oscars or Grammy Awards with my pen and pad and go from celebrity to celebrity asking questions. No one ever said no.
As for getting op-eds published, it can be arduous. This is especially true if you are a political independent (like me). There tend to be only two narratives in mainstream media: the left and the right. Both sides tend to select articles that appeal to their particular perspective. Readers want their views reinforced, not challenged. Independent pieces—that might, for example, criticize both Democrat and Republican ideologies—are generally rejected. This partisan divide in mainstream media was alive and well twenty years ago and it is even more pronounced today. It takes energy and dedication to get a green light. Again, tenacity is key.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am best known for my activism, specifically for my two-year fight against a website that trafficked in image-based sexual abuse, better known as revenge porn. The owner of the website was hacking into emails, stealing nude photos and posting them along with identifying information about the victims. His goal was to ruin lives, get people fired and even drive them to suicide. I worked with the FBI to get the website owner thrown in jail and I helped legislators around the country put laws in place. Today, revenge porn is illegal in 48 states. Some reporters call me the “Erin Brockovich of revenge porn.” Netflix recently released a documentary about my battle, titled The Most Hated Man on the Internet. The documentary has provided a renewed interest in the subject. I have been able to trumpet the cause on dozens of TV programs and podcasts (CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, Tamron Hall, Dr. Phil, Adam Carolla, Good Day LA, etc.) and in over 100 print publications (Newsweek, the San Francisco Chronicle, the New York Times, the Guardian, etc.). I hope the US will eventually pass a federal law.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.CharlotteLaws.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drcharlottelaws/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/charlottelawsfans
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/CharlotteLaws
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/CharlotteLaws
- Other: http://www.UndercoverDebutante.com
Image Credits
Charlotte Laws, Jeremy Saffer
