While the city can’t outlaw viewing pornography in public libraries, those who watch it in the presence of minors may soon face criminal charges.
Councilmen David Greenfield (D-Brooklyn) and Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) announced bipartisan legislation on Sunday that would make viewing pornography within 100 feet of a minor in a public library a misdemeanor with penalties ranging from fines up to $10,000 and the possibility of jail time.
The “common sense” bill, as Ulrich describes it, is designed to protect children. “Kids shouldn’t be exposed to sexually explicit content, and taxpayers shouldn’t have to foot the bill for it either,” he said. The bill, however, may face constitutional challenges and fights with the city’s three public library systems.
“In deference to the First Amendment protecting freedom of speech, the New York Public Library cannot prevent adult patrons from accessing adult content that is legal,” New York Public Library spokeswoman Angela Montefinise told the New York Post in April.
However, Ulrich and Greenfield are confident that tailoring the bill to protect children will let it pass constitutional challenges.
A request for comment from Queens Library was not answered by press time, but spokeswoman Joanne King told the online blog Gothamist that complaints about patrons viewing pornography are “practically nonexistent.”
Queens Library also has online filters in place that prevent people from easily accessing pornography. Ulrich applauded his borough’s library’s efforts, but said Brooklyn and New York Public Libraries make viewing explicit material too easy.
To have the filters turned off in Queens, patrons must make a request with the librarian.
“Queens makes it almost impossible,” Ulrich said. “People who are perverts don’t exactly want to go to someone and say, ‘I want to watch [porn].’”
by Eric Yun
