Author: Maren Williams

School Counselor Who Defended The Family Book Named GLSEN Educator of the Year

Last year, the school board in Erie, Illinois, voted to remove Todd Parr’s The Family Book and other GLBT-friendly resources from the curriculum despite a review committee’s recommendation that they be conserved. CBLDF joined with several other anti-censorship organizations in…

A Tax on Violence? Not So Fast

In a meeting with religious leaders last week, Vice President Joe Biden stated that there is “no legal reason” that the government couldn’t impose extra taxes on entertainment media that depict violence such as movies and video games. Actually, there…

How Comics Conquered Libraries

Not so very long ago, comic books in libraries were exceedingly rare. Even those libraries that did carry comics often relegated them to the children’s department, with little attention given to building a diverse, quality collection. But over the past…

Elmhurst Residents’ Crusade Against M-Rated Video Games Continues

The recent unanimous decision by the board of the Elmhurst, Illinois, public library to keep M-rated video games available for checkout has not deterred those who want them removed. In an article on Chicago-area news site mysuburbanlife.com, Jim Schuetz and…

New Jersey Ponders Restricting Video Games

Despite a 2011 Supreme Court decision that struck down a California law banning the sale or rental of violent video games to minors, New Jersey lawmakers are now considering similar legislation. In an apparent attempt to skirt the Supreme Court…

Illinois Library Board Votes to Keep M-Rated Games

Here’s some good news on the video-games-and-violence front: Earlier this week, the board of the Elmhurst, Illinois, public library unanimously voted to keep M-rated games in the collection, despite a challenge from a small number of citizens who wanted them…

Jefferson Center Issues 2013 Muzzle Awards

The annual Muzzle Awards are out! The Muzzles, presented by the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression, recognize the very worst offenders against free expression in the past year. This year’s list, in no particular order, includes:…