City Pulls Controversial Link From Library Site
Task Force To Investigate All Links
POSTED: Wednesday, December 10, 2003
UPDATED: 6:02 pm CST December 10,
2003
HOUSTON -- A controversial link on the teenager's section of the
city of Houston library's Web site was removed Wednesday.
City officials removed the link to "Go Ask Alice," a sexually explicit Web site.
Mayor Lee P. Brown announced that he ordered the library's director to remove it.
"This afternoon, they'll be off our Web site," Brown said.
The Go Ask Alice site includes graphic information on various sex acts.
The only medical doctor on Houston City Council was horrified that the site was given to teenagers as the top source for health information.
"This is not something that the city is proud of. I am not proud to say that this is our city's Web site, and (the director) said it's been up for two years and no one has complained," said Shelley Sekula-Gibbs, a Houston city council member.
The library director would not comment to News2Houston Wednesday.
However, when KPRC first reported the story Monday, the coordinator for material's selection, Syma Czerkow, defended the site.
"The page is specifically addressed as for teens. If you go to the Go Ask Alice ...," Czerkow said.
"Do you think it's appropriate for teens?" News2Houston's Cynthia Hunt asked.
"Obviously, there are teens who are asking these questions," Czerkow said.
Council member Michael Berry was first to demand the link's removal from the city's Web site. Now he wants the library's director fired.
"This showed an extreme lack of judgment and frankly, I'd like to see some new leadership at the library," Berry said.
The mayor will have a task force investigate all of the links on the library's Web site.
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