The New Intimacy

Do you think Internet Porn Should be allowed in public libraries? Why or why not?

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Contributor: removedacnt removedacnt
On SexIs today, one of the Sex Feeds was about the fact that Los Angeles and NYC Public Libraries Won't Filter Porn

This seems to be causing quite a stir, with opinions coming from all sides.

How do you feel about it? Do you think it should be allowed? Please share your reasons.
Answers (private voting - your screen name will NOT appear in the results):
Yes, I believe internet porn should be allowed in public libraries
12  (11%)
No, I do not believe internet porn should be allowed in public libraries
93  (86%)
Other: Please elaborate
3  (3%)
Total votes: 108
Poll is closed
04/28/2011
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Contributor: Eden C. Eden C.
I think that porn should be filtered. There are people in public libraries who do not have computers at home and need them to complete assignments, do research, and look for jobs. I can picture a scenario of people looking up porn and never leaving, so no one else can use the computers.

Furthermore, there are children in libraries who could see the material while looking over people's shoulders. I am not particularly protective of children, but I know that the amount of porn I looked at during early puberty made me bored of sex before I ever had a chance to have it.
04/28/2011
Contributor: MandaB MandaB
I agree with the stance that there could be children that could accidentally view it. Granted, this same thing could potentially happen at the home of someone who has children if they are viewing it on their own computer, but that's on the parent. I would be much more upset at my (metaphorical) child accidentally viewing porn at a public library than if they were somehow to stumble upon it in my own home while I was viewing it (say, walking in on us viewing porn after their bedtime).
04/28/2011
Contributor: BBW Talks Toys BBW Talks Toys
I'd love to hear the standpoint for the "pro."

I don't want to infringe on anyone's right to view pornography, but I do have small children and if someone were watching it at a library where they could walk past and see it, I'd flip my shit.

I plan on explaining sexual matters to my children in a timely fashion that is appropriate for the age that they are when the matter arises. There is no need to give them an education because someone who has a public masturbation/sex fetish, or has no access to porn otherwise, chooses to watch it in a public place. (no judgment, just saying that I don't want to have to explain to my 5 year old why there is genitalia on a computer screen and people doing stuff with said genitalia on the computer screen.)

When my children are old enough, in my mind, to have access to a computer without supervision... that is when I'll explain about pornography sites, the dangers of pornography sites as far as viruses go, and will probably still monitor their usage. Probably not until they're teens. (Along with the dangers of sexual conversations with anyone, online predators, and the dangers of revealing too much personal information online.)

By no means am I a naive, uninformed parent; and I wouldn't trust anyone online when it comes to my children.
04/28/2011
Contributor: Joie de Cherresse Joie de Cherresse
Quote:
Originally posted by BBW Talks Toys
I'd love to hear the standpoint for the "pro."



I don't want to infringe on anyone's right to view pornography, but I do have small children and if someone were watching it at a library where they could walk past ... more
Ditto. I don't want my kids seeing that in the library either.

You know I can't even get on EF at my library?! LOL!
04/28/2011
Contributor: BBW Talks Toys BBW Talks Toys
Quote:
Originally posted by Joie de Cherresse
Ditto. I don't want my kids seeing that in the library either.



You know I can't even get on EF at my library?! LOL!
oh I can get onto EF! I've done it before, but usually only to check messages/forums, or to print a return ticket before I had a printer... but I've never looked at toys there.
04/28/2011
Contributor: Chilipepper Chilipepper
I wonder if the Craig's List Personals' "Casual Encounters" section would be filtered?
04/28/2011
Contributor: El-Jaro El-Jaro
I think a good rule of thumb would be: You can look at porn anywhere you could take out your respective pieces and start pleasuring yourself.

The library in my hometown was so fail on porn. It stopped the casual surfer, but anyone with a little training or experience could get around the blocks.
04/28/2011
Contributor: indiglo indiglo
Quote:
Originally posted by El-Jaro
I think a good rule of thumb would be: You can look at porn anywhere you could take out your respective pieces and start pleasuring yourself.



The library in my hometown was so fail on porn. It stopped the casual surfer, but anyone ... more
I agree with this. Porn would be fine anywhere you could pleasure yourself. I would also be afraid of children seeing it in the library.
04/28/2011
Contributor: Howells Howells
Don't think so, porn doesn't belong to a library except for filming porn scenes. SO no watching but creating
04/28/2011
Contributor: Cedarlooman Cedarlooman
Yeah, too many chances of someone being inadvertently exposed who doesn't want to be or children. And the fact that people would camp out and take up all the computer time surfing for it. It's bad enough with Facebook...
04/28/2011
Contributor: BBW Talks Toys BBW Talks Toys
Yeah, can we say "sex offender charges?" Because that's what I'd be trying to get everyone involved with exposing my minors to porn charged with.
04/28/2011
Contributor: cobiffle cobiffle
no because to many people around that could not like it at all
04/28/2011
Contributor: loveshocks loveshocks
I vote no, there's a time and a place for everything, and those computers (at least my local library) are in plain view of everyone, including small children or just people who don't want to see things like that.
04/28/2011
Contributor: BBW Talks Toys BBW Talks Toys
Also, the people who vote yes, I would really, really love to hear your view point. Not to attack it or shut you down, but I'm really curious why you think that it's fine that they don't filter porn.
04/28/2011
Contributor: Joie de Cherresse Joie de Cherresse
Quote:
Originally posted by BBW Talks Toys
Also, the people who vote yes, I would really, really love to hear your view point. Not to attack it or shut you down, but I'm really curious why you think that it's fine that they don't filter porn.
I'm wondering the same thing!
04/28/2011
Contributor: tigerkate tigerkate
Look at porn and never leave?
People already can look at porn in public libraries, and until very recently, there wasn't an issue with it.

I think the LA Public Libraries took many precautions, with the types of monitors, spacing of terminals, and then moving the computers to a different location where passersby could not accidentally get a nice monitor-full of sex.

Now, before this article came onto SexIs (the original one about the man watching porn), I had NO idea porn was allowed and not filtered out in Public Libraries. And I go to them quite a bit.
I don't think it's something most people are going to the library for. But hey, some people want to go look at that and it's not illegal.

Now, school libraries are different. They filter, they firewall, they protect the children from stumbling onto something by accident. Totally fair and warranted.

There is no way, though, that they are saying "HEY, everyone is allowed to view porn! Come jerk off in the Children's Section of our library while little girls and boys search for Dr. Seuss books!"

I think they made sufficient precautions after that incident, and honestly... I can't see why any person would go into the library and watch porn and start to masturbate or do something that would expose children/poor passersby to something inappropriate. And if they do, I am 100% certain they would get caught (cameras, librarians, other people) and would absolutely get charged for public indecency (and possibly in view of a minor), and would be labeled a sex offender.


But for the time being, I think that the libraries have done the right thing.
Did anyone else read the article about some NYC third graders actually CRACKING through their filters and firewall when they simply searched for "hot girls" on their school computer?
It's not foolproof.
04/28/2011
Contributor: tigerkate tigerkate
Also, I would wonder how they would firewall and filter out the supposed pornographic sites.

When I was in high school, I found it extremely frustrating researching topics that seemed to throw off red flags-- from classic works of art that contained (gasp) nudity, to my google searches for information on castration (as an option for sex offenders) and genital mutilation (in Africa).
04/28/2011
Contributor: Chilipepper Chilipepper
Quote:
Originally posted by tigerkate
Also, I would wonder how they would firewall and filter out the supposed pornographic sites.



When I was in high school, I found it extremely frustrating researching topics that seemed to throw off red flags-- from classic works of art ... more
A friend of mine is a middle school teacher in New England, and she said it was always a fiasco with the filters anytime the students had to do research on the counties of Middlesex and Essex.
04/29/2011
Contributor: BBW Talks Toys BBW Talks Toys
Quote:
Originally posted by tigerkate
Look at porn and never leave?

People already can look at porn in public libraries, and until very recently, there wasn't an issue with it.



I think the LA Public Libraries took many precautions, with the types of monitors, ... more
Thanks for sharing your view on this. I hope some other "yes" people will answer too.
04/29/2011
Contributor: newfoundlust newfoundlust
Quote:
Originally posted by removedacnt
On SexIs today, one of the Sex Feeds was about the fact that Los Angeles and NYC Public Libraries Won't Filter Porn

This seems to be causing quite a stir, with opinions coming from all sides.

How do you feel about it? Do you think ... more
I is called common courtesy. We view what we want in the privacy of our home, but we cannot do so in a public setting a we know that others may see things they do not want to see.
04/29/2011
Contributor: Rayne Millaray Rayne Millaray
Quote:
Originally posted by BBW Talks Toys
Also, the people who vote yes, I would really, really love to hear your view point. Not to attack it or shut you down, but I'm really curious why you think that it's fine that they don't filter porn.
Okay, I'll bite.

Let's start with the famous saying, "1984 was a warning, not a manual."

Censorship is a slippery slope. It's not a far step from banning porn from library computers to banning it from library video archives. And how far is it from there, to banning erotic novels? And from there, the romance genre in its entirety? Most of the fantasy genre. A good deal of the murder/mystery genre. Forget the human sexuality section. And now we're into reference books.

Aside from that --and I'm only speaking from personal experience here-- every library I've been a member of has had separate sections for children and adults. And in most of them, if you have to cross through the adult section to get to the children's section, they make sure the path is full of innocuous literature. The libraries that are dealing with complaints about porn watchers are in the process of moving some of the computers to a less common area for people who want to view something more adult. And then? It becomes the parent's responsibility to keep their kids out of that area. The library's for reading and research (and apparently watching porn). It's not a daycare.

But really, I can't think of a better place for a kid to accidentally encounter porn than the library. I mean, think about it. Generally speaking, libraries are rather sterile environments. There's no room for misinterpretation, or sensationalism. There are tons of people around, including an extremely intelligent staff just standing at the ready for questions. They're not walking in on Mom and Dad having sex while watching porn. It's just some people having sex on a computer. Which they see in slightly less graphic detail in many movies rated over PG, these days.

We're trying to open the minds of the public. Teach people sex is okay, and natural. Not hide it behind a dark shroud of taboos and shame. We're already fighting an uphill battle. Members of the House and Senate are trying to shut down a good many porn genres completely. I just don't see the point in helping them along by censoring libraries.
04/29/2011
Contributor: Kindred Kindred
Quote:
Originally posted by Rayne Millaray
Okay, I'll bite.



Let's start with the famous saying, "1984 was a warning, not a manual."



Censorship is a slippery slope. It's not a far step from banning porn from library computers to banning it ... more
Ha ha! I was about to write "I'll bite" just before I read your post.

I think personally there are two issues here:

1. Should porn be allowed on public library computers.
2. If so, how will the libraries limit such access to underage children.

Saying that you believe porn should be allowed on library computers in no way advocates that children should have access to it as well. I would have no problem as long as the library takes the necessary precautions.

Any store that offers adult content, whether it's a video store or even a bookstore selling Playboy magazines (they still have those, right?), takes certain precautions to prevent access to children. Whether it's having a separate section or simply covering the magazines and having them elevated, they make access more difficult. Should these stores no longer be allowed to sell adult content? Because I could easily use the same argument being used against allowing libraries to allow porn on computers.

Is it fair to restrict the access to some to protect children? I don't know the answer, but again we have to be very careful because that very same argument then can be applied to many, many things. Libraries should not have porn to protect our children because it's harmful. Liquors should no longer sell alcohol to protect our children because it's harmful. Cigarettes should no longer be legal because they are harmful. Where does it end?
04/29/2011
Contributor: gone77 gone77
I was one of the people who voted "yes." Rayne and Kindred said everything that I would have said. Oh, well there is one thing I'd say: Free speech trumps everything.
04/29/2011
Contributor: Rayne Millaray Rayne Millaray
Quote:
Originally posted by Kindred
Ha ha! I was about to write "I'll bite" just before I read your post.



I think personally there are two issues here:



1. Should porn be allowed on public library computers.

2. If so, how will the ... more
Lol. Great minds, and all that jazz.
04/29/2011
Contributor: Rayne Millaray Rayne Millaray
Quote:
Originally posted by gone77
I was one of the people who voted "yes." Rayne and Kindred said everything that I would have said. Oh, well there is one thing I'd say: Free speech trumps everything.
Yeah, absolutely.
04/29/2011
Contributor: sexyintexas sexyintexas
Quote:
Originally posted by removedacnt
On SexIs today, one of the Sex Feeds was about the fact that Los Angeles and NYC Public Libraries Won't Filter Porn

This seems to be causing quite a stir, with opinions coming from all sides.

How do you feel about it? Do you think ... more
No because it will be too easy for kids to access. Even if they couldn't get it I dont want some pedo watching porn in a place where my children should be safe.
04/29/2011
Contributor: Rayne Millaray Rayne Millaray
Quote:
Originally posted by sexyintexas
No because it will be too easy for kids to access. Even if they couldn't get it I dont want some pedo watching porn in a place where my children should be safe.
Nobody said anything about pedophiles or child porn. We're talking mainstream porn, and the people who like it.
04/29/2011
Contributor: BBW Talks Toys BBW Talks Toys
Thank you @Rayne and @Kindred for sharing your points of view... Allow me to expound on those from the other side.

I'll address the parent responsibility portion, seeing as I have children and live in a much smaller metropolis than the two in question.

At some point, my children will be allowed to visit the library by themselves. Probably about age 9 or 10. I do not expect that they babysit my children. If I feel that my children need supervision at the library, I will accompany them myself. HOWEVER, while cities who have better library funding can have completely different adult/children sections, not all do. Mine doesn't. All the computers in my library are in one central location and teenagers research homework in the same section that adults can view pornography. There are no private booths, just a divider. Walking past the computers, you can see what anyone is looking at. There's not a children/teen/adult section divided out with computers for all that only have content available for those age groups. The kids' books are centralized and the YA and adult stuff circles around the kids' section.

Liquor stores check IDs, Porn shops check IDs, Grocery and convenience stores check IDs (at least they're supposed to) before exchanging money for goods... public libraries do not (nor do many public libraries have the funding to station someone there to check them). There is a big difference there. I don't believe in censorship at all, but I do believe that the people who sell or give access to things that are geared towards adults should take responsibility and make sure that they do their best to make sure that those who are under age do not have access to it. Not all literature that's geared to young adults (14-19) is appropriate for small children. So just having a "Children" and "Adult" section is not sufficient. Much of the YA stuff is located in a portion of the adult section. Plus, when I was 14 years old I was reading Stephen King and John Grisham. Not in the children or YA section. I could handle that kind of literature, not all kids do and my parents were active and aware of my literature choices.

I understand what you're saying from a censorship POV. However, there's a big difference between a Liquor/convenience/por n shop and the PUBLIC library where ALL content is available to ALL people. At least, my libraries. I think there's a big difference between sex positivity and having parents teach their children about positive sexual views, and having a public government-run program allowing everyone to have access to pornography. Especially since I don't believe that they're going to be that strict about who is allowed there; and while, yes, there is the responsibility of the parents involved, you can't accompany your children to the library until they're 18. Well, I guess you *could* if you want to be *that* parent who raised *that* kid.
04/29/2011
Contributor: BBW Talks Toys BBW Talks Toys
Just want to say that I'm glad we can discuss our different views without getting our hackles up. It's a great debate.
04/29/2011