Badpuppy Gay Today |
Monday 30, March 1998 |
On Thursday, March 12, the Senate Commerce Committee approved a bill (The Internet School Filtering Act, S. 1619) which requires schools and libraries that receive federal funds for Internet access to install software designed to block material that is deemed inappropriate for children. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) are concerned about this proposition, as it constitutes a violation of the First Amendment rights of students and citizens. "The use of Internet Filtering Software may be appropriate in the home, where parents can make their own personal value judgments about what filtering software to purchase and what types of sites to block," said Joan Garry, Executive Director of GLAAD. "However, requiring a public institution, such as a school or library, to make this judgment call-therefore censoring certain sites from view-is a violation of the First Amendment rights of local citizens. It is inappropriate for schools or libraries to make these types of decisions." The criteria by which Internet filtering software limits the World Wide Web can be subjective and questionable. These software companies, in the interest of retaining what they call "proprietary information," often do not disclose the specific criteria used to determine whether a site or newsgroup should be blocked. Therefore, consumers-as well as schools and libraries-who purchase the software will most likely never know exactly what they are missing. Access to a wide variety of Internet sites is especially important to members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, because it provides them with vital information, a forum for expression, and a sense of solidarity. Internet filtering software threatens that access and prevents the community from receiving valuable resources by uniformly blocking many important informational sites. Most of the sites serving the community provide information about sexual orientation as it relates to culture and identity. For example, the Internet serves as a unique community forum for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth, serving as a comfortable medium where they can meet others who, like them, struggle with the everyday issues of homophobia and intolerance. Many of these youth are isolated both emotionally and socially as a result of their sexual orientation or identity, and denying them access to such gay-supportive sites can put them at an even greater emotional risk. "I am not only the Executive Director of GLAAD; I am a mother as well," said Garry. "While I want to protect my children from dangerous material on the Internet, I also want them to have access to all the wonderful information and knowledge that is available on the World Wide Web." "Part of what it means to be educated is having the ability to learn to think independently. While parents may choose to limit their children's knowledge of certain subjects or people, it is vital that schools do not play that role," said Kevin Jennings, Executive Director of GLSEN. "The use of Internet filtering software by public schools and libraries interferes with that which is the basis for the existence of those institutions in the first place - to think, learn and grow as an individual," he continued. GLAAD and GLSEN believe that it is imperative to prevent this bill from passing. Supporters of these organizations are encouraged to write, call, or e-mail their Congressperson to urge them to prevent the passage of this bill. GLAAD is a national organization that promotes fair, accurate, and inclusive representation as a means of challenging discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. GLSEN is the largest national organization fighting anti-gay bias in K-12 schools. Visit GLAAD Online at: http://www.glaad.org To report defamation, call our toll-free Alertline at: 800-GAY-MEDIA SAVE ELLEN! Visit GLAAD's "Save Ellen!" Campaign at: |
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