un-friend me PLEASE

[salixbabylon]

Today I went to (was in) a friend's wedding. Three separate people approached me about writing smut and/or fanfic and/or Harry Potter. One of them reminded me that as a future librarian I may be working with children some day, and wouldn't that be funny if parents knew?

No, I think that would be possibly ILLEGAL and make me fail to get a security clearance pass to work with children. I am now seriously paranoid. While I know it's not illegal exactly, I don't want to ever be in court if I can help it.

I tried (and failed) to have a separate identity for writing slash. Since I have stories "published" on the web under this name, I'd really rather not have to choose another name.

If you are a friend of mine in real life, if I know you from the SC geek scene, please please please un-friend me. Y

You can still read my journal and comment on it if you like, but I won't be friending you. I hope you can understand that I'm very concerned now about my ability to get the job I want, that I've been working for the last three years, and having my real life be impacted by my little hobby. With the Patriot Act the way it is, and personal freedoms and rights to privacy being eroded left and right, I'm really very worried and am asking, even begging, that if I know you in real life, please un-friend me.

And please don't take it personally. I just hadn't realize how quickly and how far the web had spread this information until today.

If you have any questions, you know my other emails - contact me there. Thank you.

Comments

[maruchina.livejournal.com]

Why would it be illegal? I think it's only illegal if you actually give the smut to the kids to read. Otherwise, it would just be something you'd do in your own time.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Thank goodness I don't know you in real life then! *g* You're far too good a beta reader to give up reading your LJ. Thank you for your help on Animagick, I'll be sending out sometime tonight for the final.

~Icarus

[salixbabylon.livejournal.com]

Now that I've calmed down a touch, it probably wouldn't be illegal, strictly speaking. But I suspect that being a "known writer" of NC17 gay fiction which may or may not include children under the age of consent, probably wouldn't be a situation I would want to deal with in a professional setting.

While -I- do not write about any of the characters when they are underage, I doubt that parents or supervisors would really care, and would just rather not hire me over a candidate with no deviant links from their internet personas.

Also, I'm not sure how strict the child pornography laws are... I seem to recall that they're quite draconian - I know if you're "in possession" of child porn (anyone under 18) whether it's magazines or pictures on the internet that you have looked at, you can have your children taken away from you and be forbidden to work with children, and be listed as a sex offender. I just don't want to deal with it.

And I really doubt any of my "real life" friends much care about all my blathering about the Potterverse anyway, so hopefully they won't get too upset with me.

Re:

[maruchina.livejournal.com]

Ah... I can see your point, yes. I think I'm too used to the rules in this country, the age of consent is 12 here, so child pornography would be with really young kids. But I can see how that would influence your reputation in the USA. :\

[salixbabylon.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm glad you won't be going away!

And I'm looking forward to the final version!

ASide: I really didn't want to lock people out and do a "friends only" journal, so I'm hoping this will work. I want fanfic people to be able to find me - I just don't want my real life friends to make me traceable. I can't think of any option but this!

[theantimodel.livejournal.com]

um, hi you don't actually know me, but I saw your comment over on olivia_lupin's lj. From a legal perspective, I'm not an expert but I'm pretty sure that there is legal backing for fiction involving children under the age of consent. I think a judge once ruled that it was legal to write because no children were/are actually being harmed by the writing. However showing a child a story like that, or actually doing the act and then writing about it is illegal.

I know that Pam versaphile had to deal with some legal/child-abuse stuff when she did a photomanip of a young looking Elijah Wood back in February. I think she knows more of the legal stuff and would probably be willing to explain if you e-mailed her. I'm sure nothing will/could happen legally but it's always good to check. Good luck!

[salixbabylon.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the information - I just may follow up on that!