The American government is being sued for attempting to censor gay websites in public libraries.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is taking the government to court in an attempt to challenge a law that will force public libraries to censor the internet with methods that automatically block gay and lesbian websites.

The ACLU alleges that the Children`s Internet Protection Act (CHIPA) restricts freedom of speech online.

CHIPA came into law last year. It requires libraries taking part in some national programmes to use "technology protection measures" on computer terminals with Internet access in order to protect children from “indecent” content.

The ACLU is representing several groups in the case including library associations, individuals as well as websites such as PlanetOut.com, Planned Parenthood, Safersex.org and Afraidtoask.com, all of whom have had content censored by CHIPA.

Andy Scahill, editor of Out in America, a gay website, said: "The definition of indecent is so broad, it`s filtering out important educational information.”

ACLU lawyer Chris Hansen criticised CHIPA, and said: "The flaws in blocking programmes are inevitable given the task and the limitations of the technology. Everyone from a Congressional panel to Consumer Reports to parents, have found blocking programmes to be unworkable."

Scahill said that he relied on the Internet when he first came out, adding: “It`s more than education, it’s about validating a person`s identity." He said that the organisation was worried about who would be targeted next, should the law be allowed to continue.

The case will be heard at the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia, after which it may move on to the US Supreme Court.

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