FC: Family Research Council hails EEOC ruling on library filtering

From: Declan McCullagh (declanat_private)
Date: Sat May 26 2001 - 09:22:12 PDT

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    News coverage:
    http://www.startribune.com/viewers/qview/cgi/qview.cgi?story=84238770&template=metro_a_cache
    http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/166171.html
    
    -Declan
    
    ************
    
    From: Family Research Council <frcpubat_private>
    Subject: Press Release - EEOC Says Cyberporn Harmful to Librarians
    To: declanat_private
    Date: Fri, 25 May 2001 13:23:34 -0400
    
    Here is our latest press release. To see the on-line
    version, please visit:
    
    http://www.frc.org/press/index.cfm?get=recent&id=P01E14
    
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    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 25, 2001
    CONTACT: Kristin Hansen, (202) 393-2100
    FOR RADIO: Kelly Green
    
    EEOC FINDS MINNEAPOLIS LIBRARY A SEXUALLY
    HOSTILE WORK ENVIRONMENT DUE TO INTERNET
    PORNOGRAPHY, FRC NOT SURPRISED
    
    "This deals a major blow to the American Library Association
    and its irresponsible anti-filtering policy," said Jan
    LaRue, FRC's senior director of Legal Studies
    
    WASHINGTON, D.C. -- On Thursday, the Equal Employment
    Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced a finding of
    probable cause that 12 Minneapolis public librarians were
    subjected to a sexually hostile work environment in
    violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when
    they were exposed to pornography on the Internet.
    
    "We knew it was just a matter of time before some dedicated
    librarians would stand up to the American Library
    Association and rescue their library.  Our hats are off to
    the 'Minneapolis 12,'" said Jan LaRue, senior director of
    Legal Studies at the Family Research Council.  "The EEOC's
    decision is both legally correct and amply justified."
    
    Minneapolis librarians have complained of hard-core
    pornographic Web sites left visible on Internet terminals,
    graphic printouts left on tables and youngsters exposed to
    images of bestiality and child rape.  Patrons have also
    complained that anyone walking through the library could see
    pornography on computers.
    
    Very few libraries have utilized blocking technology on
    computers due to the policies and pressure of the American
    Library Association (ALA), which promotes unrestricted
    access by anyone, regardless of age, to all of the materials
    available on the Internet regardless of content, including
    the most deviant pornography.
    
    "A public library is supposed to be a place dedicated to
    quiet, to knowledge, and to beauty, not a dirty peep show
    open to kids and funded by taxpayers.  The ALA resists doing
    what's constitutional and common sense: don't bring into the
    library through cyberspace what would never be stocked on
    the bookshelves.  ALA bureaucrats don't work in libraries -
    they don't have to clean up after the porn or be threatened
    with a knife by a porn-surfing addict who's been told his
    time on the computer is up," LaRue said.
    
    LaRue called on library boards across the country to utilize
    blocking technology to keep illegal pornography from turning
    their library into a sexually hostile work environment like
    Minneapolis.  "If anyone thinks Minneapolis is an isolated
    incident, they need to read FRC's publication, 'Dangerous
    Access 2000 Edition: Uncovering Internet Pornography in
    America's Libraries,' which is available online at
    www.frc.org," said LaRue.
    
    
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