Kayleigh Kozak, a survivor of child sexual abuse and a strong voice for policy promoting victims’ rights, was recently disinvited as a keynote speaker at the Arizona Crime Victims Rights Week awards ceremony in response to a tweet slamming Katie Hobbs for vetoing legislation to give more protection to potential victims of pedophilia.
Hobbs is “prioritizing pedophiles over innocent children,” tweeted Kozak.
Kayleigh Kozak is the inspiration for Kayleigh’s Law, which was passed in 2021 to give victims lifetime protection from their abusers.
Fox 10 reported,
Victims would be able to ask the court for a lifetime order of protection from their convicted abuser if their probation comes to an end. If that order is violated, it’s a class 1 misdemeanor.
SB 1412 was originally passed in 2021, but was just amended.
It’s named after Kayleigh Kozak, who has been fighting for this bill since 2020 after the man who sexually abused her started petitioning to have his probation lifted.
“What was one of the most painful days has turned into and blossomed into such a blessing, not only for myself as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, but also for victims here in Arizona,” Kozak said
RINO Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell previously tweeted that she was the prosecutor assigned to prosecute Kayleigh’s sexual abuser and that Kayleigh’s journey to change the laws was “truly inspiring.” Kayleigh was later disinvited from speaking about her journey by Mitchell’s office because she used her First Amendment to speak out on behalf of protecting victims.
Kayleigh told The Gateway Pundit, “I want to believe she wants the best for me, but clearly, she does not.”
Kayleigh also told us, “as the prosecutor, she agreed to the plea deal that was six months in jail, and she never disclosed to my parents that he would not be on the DPS sex offender website” or that lifetime probation could be appealed and reduced. She continued, “My parents wanted him to have that public scrutiny, so they were under the impression that he would be on the DPS public registry and that he would never, ever, ever be able to get off his probation, and that’s why they agreed to that, when in reality that is not the case.”
“I wanted to believe she did the right thing and a good thing, but I don’t know if she did.”
Recently, Kayleigh Kozak helped Senator Janae Shamp introduce SB1253 to add even more protection for children and stricter notification requirements for convicted sex offenders, which would require them to give annual notice to the school their child attends.
Katie Hobbs put out the following statement vetoing SB1253 and claiming that the state is already doing enough to punish sex offenders.
Registered sex offenders are already required to notify schools in the district in which they live of their status. However, this new bill added language requiring sex offenders with parental rights to notify their children’s school, regardless of what district it is in. This is important in Arizona, where a child may attend any school regardless of their zip code.
Kozak tweeted that she was “disgusted” by Hobbs’ decision to veto the bill.
Kozak: Governor Hobbs has officially vetoed SB1253 which require a registered sex offender with parental rights to notify their children’s school of their sex offender status. I am disgusted. Thank you @AZSenatorShamp for fighting this fight with me.
Governor Hobbs has officially vetoed SB1253 which require a registered sex offender with parental rights to notify their children’s school of their sex offender status. I am disgusted.
Thank you @AZSenatorShamp for fighting this fight with me. pic.twitter.com/csjFKTkE7t— thekayleighkozak (@Kayleigh_Kozak) April 6, 2023
Kozak: I am just disgusted by the Governor’s decision & lack of understanding of this bill. It is beyond shameful, she is in fact prioritizing pedophiles over innocent children. THANK YOU @AZSenatorShamp FOR SPONSORING THIS BILL! We will keep fighting for children!
I am just disgusted by the Governors decision & lack of understanding of this bill. It is beyond shameful, she is in fact prioritizing pedophiles over innocent children. THANK YOU @AZSenatorShamp FOR SPONSORING THIS BILL! We will keep fighting for children! https://t.co/j9j110gIsY
— thekayleighkozak (@Kayleigh_Kozak) April 8, 2023
Because of her tweets, Kozak told The Gateway Pundit that she received a call from the Division Chief of Victim Services at the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, Shawn Cox, disinviting her from speaking at the upcoming Arizona Crime Victims Rights Week awards ceremony. Cox allegedly said the State of Arizona and Maricopa County were “concerned,” “anguished,” and “uncomfortable” to have her on stage with officials she has criticized using her First Amendment.
Cox’s husband, Steve Twist, is also known as “the driving force behind Arizona’s constitutional amendment, known as the Arizona Victims’ Bill of Rights (VBR), Ariz. Const. art. II, § 2.1, in 1990 and its implementing legislation in 1991.” These people don’t appear to truly care about victims of sexual violence or laws to protect victims.
Kayleigh Kozak released the following video statement to her Instagram page.
Kozak names the Arizona Governor’s office, the AG’s office, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, the Arizona Department of Corrections, the Department of Public Safety, Juvenile Corrections, and the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission as those responsible for her suppression.
Rachel Mitchell could not be reached for comment at press time.
Watch below:
Kozak: Our Arizona government claims they want to elevate, engage, and effect change to give survivors voices, but what they’re really doing is patronizing, punishing, and politicizing sex crimes by silencing people like me. I, Kayleigh Kozak, am the namesake behind Kayleigh’s Law. I proposed and successfully passed this law in multiple states across the nation. This law gives victims of sex crimes protection that is valid for their entire life. I spearhead policy to narrow the gaps in the existing law and help draft policy to hold pedophiles and the system accountable. I was invited by Maricopa County Attorney’s office to the Arizona Crime Victims Rights event and asked to be the keynote speaker. This event recognizes and honors the outstanding achievements and timeless efforts of those serving victims of crime in Arizona. This collaborative event is put on by seven agencies in Arizona, including the governor’s office and MCAO. On Friday, April 6, using my First Amendment right, I put out a tweet to express my disdain over a veto from Governor Hobbs for SB 1253, which required sex offender notification to schools. I was contacted Monday by MCAO informing me that my invitation and award had been rescinded. To be clear, because of the language I used in my tweet to express my feelings on the veto, the leaders within the Arizona state agencies listed below decided to punish me. They say they are “concerned,” “anguished,” and “uncomfortable” to have me share the stage with the officials I have openly criticized. The people who promised to protect me and claim they’re for victims’ rights are the same people punishing me over a tweet, and I will not stay silent. I stand firm in my statement, and I will never stop fighting for victims because you still matter.
