“The male officer made eye contact with me, so I walked over to him, and he said, ‘So you're here to report some sort of a crime?’ and I said, ‘Yes, the fact that I was roofied two weeks ago.’ And he said, ‘Why did you wait two weeks?’
And immediately I thought, ‘Oh my God. This is really happening right now.’ You hear about these things– this is every assault victim’s worst nightmare, and it's happening right now.”
– Leah McGuirk
MY ADVOCACY WORK CHANGED NORTH CAROLINA'S SEXUAL ASSAULT LAWS
In less than two years, I went from being an average citizen, to an impetus of legislative change.
On May 12, 2018, the course of my life changed forever.
IT ALL STARTED AS A FACEBOOK POST
My drink was drugged the previous weekend at Rooftop 210, in downtown Charlotte, NC.
I wanted to warn my friends to be careful, especially since I hadn’t left my cocktail unattended.
My friends implored me to make a public Facebook post to warn other potential victims; I was hesitant but agreed to do it.
THE POST WAS RAPIDLY SHARED
Public messages of shock, fear, and support poured in from people all around the Charlotte, NC, community for over a week. Women (and a few men) privately contacted me to share that their drinks were also drugged at Rooftop 210, and some had been sexually assaulted as a result.
Duty-bound to take action, I went to the Charlotte Police Department to file a report for the crime committed against me.
When I arrived, the police officer at the main desk refused to let me file a report, and sent me away.
I was appalled and initially shamed by the lack of responsiveness I experienced.
PROPELLED BY AN ETHICAL OBLIGATION TO THE VICTIMS, I CAME UP WITH A PLAN
I made a (now infamous) YouTube video.
Since neither the CMPD, nor the bar would listen to me, I decided I would draw their attention via social media. I created a hashtag #RoofieTop210, sample letters for the public to contact Rooftop 210 and CMPD, along with a list of contact information.
And it worked.
A detective with the Sexual Assault Unit called and said the CMPD watched my video and wanted to help me file a report.
In the process of registering my statement at the downtown precinct, I discovered that North Carolina didn’t have a statute that classified crimes where victims were only chemically assaulted.
Instead, cases like mine typically were filed under a rarely used, outdated statute intended for the tampering of children’s Halloween candy.
A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER THIS HAPPENED
The CMPD held a press conference about me. The YouTube video and complaint letters I created for the public to demand a response made a big impact.
LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS WANTED TO INTERVIEW ME
So I retold my story many times that night.
THIS INTERVIEW CHANGED EVERYTHING
A week later, Alex Shabad, an investigative journalist, spoke to a local state representative who said he wanted to help me clarify NC’s sexual assault laws.
Rep. Chaz Beasley said he would draft new legislation the following year, so I did not expect what happened a few weeks later.
JUNE 2018: A NORTH CAROLINA LAW WAS AMENDED
Rep. Beasley sponsored a bill that was signed into law by Gov. Cooper a little over a month from the date of my first Facebook post. This law was inspired by me and clarified the definition of sexual assault to include being drugged against one's own will.
However, it was still legal to drug a person's drink in NC without sexually or physically assaulting them afterward– it was called the “incapacitation loophole.”
MARCH 2019: ADDITIONAL LEGISLATION WAS DRAFTED TO ADDRESS THE INCAPACITATION LOOPHOLE
House Bill 393, “Modernizing Sexual Assault Laws,” would help victims of crimes like mine when chemical assault takes place, yet no resulting physical or sexual assault occurs afterward.
I was honored at a House of Representatives' session and spoke at a press conference to introduce the bill that was inspired by me.
APRIL 2018: I SPOKE AT A HOUSE JUDICIAL COMMITTEE HEARING FOR HB 393
I shared my experience of being drugged and explained why the bill needed to be ratified.
HB 393 PASSED THE HOUSE UNANIMOUSLY, BUT...
When the bill reached the next step, a Senate subcommittee, it sat there– for months.
I was interviewed by the Associated Press and my story officially made national news for the second time.
In July, I traveled to Raleigh to speak to Senators about supporting HB 393. Many senators were in closed meetings, so I only had the opportunity to speak with a few of them.
NEGATIVE NEWS ARTICLES CAME OUT
The gist was that HB 393 was dying in the Senate because legislators were uncomfortable addressing sexual assault.
Articles like that rotated throughout the summer while I left voicemails for the Subcommittee Chair to give my bill a hearing.
I didn’t hear back.
IN OCTOBER, SOMETHING HAPPENED
NC lawmakers merged four failing sexual assault bills (including mine) into one bill– Senate Bill 199. I was invited to be there for the final House and Senate hearing for SB 199.
So, on Halloween day, I traveled to Raleigh to watch the hearings unfold.
It was nerve-wracking.
SB 199 PASSED THE HOUSE AND SENATE UNANIMOUSLY
I was relieved, to say the least.
This meant that SB 199 would be sent to Gov. Cooper to sign it into law. And, I was there a week later for the bill signing ceremony.
And, the governor and I matched our outfits without planning it!
The HB 393 press conference in April 2019.
Where my work has been featured
