Adult Bookstores

A new Arkansas law targeting material "harmful to minors" could force bookstores and libraries to card people at the door. A story in yesterday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (available from the online archives for a fee) explains that the the state defines such material as

"any description or representation, in whatever form, of nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, or sadomasochistic abuse, when the material or performance, taken as a whole" is considered by an average adult as appealing to a "prurient interest" in sex to minors, is "patently offensive" or "lacks serious literary, scientific, medical, artistic or political value" for minors.

Under the new law, which is scheduled to take effect on July 16, material fitting this definition must be kept "not exposed to view and segregated in a manner that physically prohibits access of the material by minors." So unless booksellers and librarians are prepared to review every book and periodical on their shelves, trying to figure out what the average prosecutor thinks the average adult would consider prurient and offensive with respect to minors, they may simply have to keep out anyone under 18.

In response to a lawsuit by booksellers, publishers, librarians, and the ACLU, the chief sponsor of the legislation insisted it "was never the intent to change the existing law so that it would affect mainstream literature" such as romance novels, Of Mice and Men, or Catcher in the Rye. A co-sponsor confessed, "It could open up a can of worms, there's no doubt about that. But our intentions were pure."

[Thanks to Brent Hogan for the link.]