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A New York City councilman proposed legislation yesterday that would make nonconsensual 'voyeurism' a misdemeanor crime in the state of New York. He was prompted to write the new bill after complaints from women in his Queens district about a man standing under the steps of a local train station, looking up their skirts.
Looking for More Than a Moment
The bill makes it illegal to look at someone's "sexual or other intimate parts" for more than a moment, "in other than a casual or cursory manner," for the purpose of entertainment, sexual arousal or gratification, or for the purpose of degrading or abusing the person being viewed.
A Vaguely Defined Activity
Critics have already assailed the legislation. Donna Lieberman, executive director of The New York Civil Liberties Union, pointed out that "The problem with this legislation is that it's trying to get at this amorphous, vague behavior of looking, which is very imprecise…the language of the bill reflects how vague the activity that they're trying to get at is, and the problem is that it's an invitation to abuse, to selective enforcement based on the whims or prejudice of the individual police officer."
"Other Situations Will Be Caught Up in This"
Even Mr. Vallone acknowledged that, "invariably, other situations are going to get caught up in this." New York City is a very densely populated area. Public areas are often filled with hundreds of individuals, and thousands of apartment buildings and office buildings in the city have windows that face other buildings' windows. Critics raised concerns that someone who inadvertently sees another individual's private parts may be subject to this new crime.
Vallone's spokesman, Andrew Moesel, admitted that "The most problematic case is going to be people staring into windows," but he argued that "It's like anything else. It won't be any harder to describe than an assault."
In a Grab-Bag with Peeping, Flashing
The new voyeurism law would be an extension of an existing state law that prohibits "peeping" with a camera. The bill is part of legislation introduced by Vallone in an effort to clamp down on "flashers," men who show their genitalia in a public place to nonconsenting individuals in the area.
Three states have introduced similar voyeurism legislation: Arizona, Washington, and South Carolina.
(Source: New York Times online)
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