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"Porn on Library Computers is NOT OKAY!" Borough President Molinaro Charges

Will stop funding unless libraries can prevent children from being exposed to smut

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Borough President James P. Molinaro today expressed his outrage that New York public libraries are permitting patrons to view pornography on computers – many of which were purchased for the facilities by elected officials, including himself.

“The New York Public Library says that they cannot prevent adult patrons from accessing adult content that is legal and protected as freedom of speech under the First Amendment,” said Molinaro. “This is alarming to me and totally unacceptable, because I have given Staten Island libraries millions of dollars in capital funding -- including $1 million for computers alone – with the express purpose of providing our children with 21st Century technology to help them learn.

“Obviously, there’s a big difference between exercising your ‘freedom of speech’ at home and exercising it in a public place such as a library, where you’re surrounded by other people -- including children -- who will be exposed to the pornography being viewed on the computer,” Molinaro added.

“At newsstands, pornographic magazines are placed high up and are covered to protect men, women, and children from being exposed to such things,” Molinaro continued. “Why can’t the libraries take a similar common-sense approach and find ways to shield our children and others from being exposed to hearing and seeing this filth?

“To me, the logical solution would be to put the porn viewers in a separate section of the library, away from the general computer users,” Molinaro said. “Unless we can find a solution acceptable to everyone, I will have no choice but to withhold any future funding to the libraries.

“It saddens me to have to take this action at a time when arts and cultural institutions are falling to the budget ax,” Molinaro added, “but after giving our libraries millions of dollars, I can’t have our children being exposed to smut. People who must look at this stuff should be ostracized, banished to a separate section of the library, where everyone will know what they’re doing.”

April 28, 2011