Author: Patricia Mastricolo

CBLDF Speaks Out Against Harsh and Discriminatory Punishment of 6th Grader

A sixth-grade student was arrested in Florida after refusing to participate in the pledge of allegiance. The substitute teacher attempted to insist on his participation but the student still abstained, explaining his views that the flag represents racism in America.…

Two New Jersey High Schools Restrict Fun Home

Two High Schools in North Hunterdon-Voorhees School District New Jersey have chosen to restrict access to Alison Bechdel’s graphic memoir Fun Home. Administrators based their decision to examine the best-selling comic on a challenge to at another High School, likely…

John Oliver’s Bunny Book Triggers Teacher Investigation

A teacher in Seminole County, Florida is under investigation for reading an age-appropriate book about two gay bunnies to his first-grade class. According to local news in the area, the investigation came in response to complaints from several parents about…

Happy President’s Day

It’s clear when perusing through history textbooks, those who founded and ran America often cared deeply about the First Amendment and the importance of knowledge and information. Read their own words, as a reminder why these freedoms are not to be…

Proposed Book Banning Law Defeated in Maine

February 11, 2019, LD 94, a bill proposed in Maine that would criminalize educators for assigning or providing “obscene” materials, was unanimously rejected by the legislative committee. The bill was initially proposed after Representative Amy Arata, discovered her son had been…

LGBTQIA Muslim Comics Mysteriously Removed from Instagram

Indonesian Government Takes Credit, Instagram Denies Involvement This week, Instagram account @Alpantuni, which posted comics about a gay Muslim character in Indonesia, disappeared to the dismay of its 6,000 followers. The government in Indonesia was quick to take credit, claiming…

LGBTQIA Victory in Kansas Library

  Transgender Kids’ Books Will Remain Accessible According to The Wichita Eagle, the Andover Public Library board of directors has voted – nearly unanimously – to protect the rights of their patrons regardless of age. This is the conclusion of a challenge…

Comic Strip Banned from Local Papers

Obscene Scribble Gets Syndicated Comic Strip “Non Sequitur” Removed From Multiple Newspapers Sunday, February 10th, some sharp-eyed newspaper readers got a shock with their morning funnies when long-running, syndicated comic strip, Non Sequitur contained an obscene message to the president. The creator,…

CBLDF Fights for LGBTQIA Kids Books Under Attack

CBLDF and Kids’ Right to Read Project, are standing up with the Andover Public Librarians and imploring them to continue to protect the First Amendment right of all of their patrons. Back in September, a patron of the Andover Library…

CBLDF and Kids’ Right to Read Project Stand Up for Manga

CBLDF reported last week that popular manga, Assassination Classroom by Yusei Matsui was pulled from a school library on Staten Island, without adhering to the New York City Department of Education guidelines. The comic is currently pending review by an…