Porn Star's Book Returns To Houston Library Shelves
ACLU Threatened To Sue Over Book's Removal
POSTED: Friday, February 11, 2005
UPDATED: 5:47 pm CST February 11,
2005
HOUSTON -- City of Houston library officials reversed a decision Friday and returned a book by a porn star to the shelves of public libraries, Local 2 reported Friday.
"How To Make Love Like A Porn Star: A Cautionary Tale" was pulled earlier this month amid protests to council members.
The best-selling book is an autobiography by Jenna Jameson, an adult film star. It contains a few nude photos of Jameson.
At the mayor's request, the book was placed in the library's closed stacks and only made available by request.
"If you've seen the pictures in the book, you'll know what we're talking about. You wouldn't show them on your television station, so he was trying to balance those community concerns with the interest of people who want to have access to the book," said Frank Michel, Mayor Bill White's spokesman.
Earlier this week, the Houston chapter of the
American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter to the city saying the book's removal violated the First Amendment's free speech guarantee. The ACLU said the decision to remove the book also violated due process.
"This book has a lot of literary merit. This is about the biography of a woman in a certain industry, it is the porn industry, and it is not a pornographic book by any standards," said Randall Kallinen, the president of the Houston ACLU.
A city library committee reviewed the book and ruled against the mayor, saying the book should be returned to the open shelves in the Fine Arts section.
The book was ordered and displayed through an automatic library system. The library committee has recommended the library be more selective in its book orders and displays.
As of Friday afternoon, all of the copies of the book were checked out and there was a 40-person waiting list.
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