As we reach the end of 2022, CBLDF looks back at the five most notable stories from the blog.
5. CBLDF Returns to Cons
2022 saw a return to cons for many folks in the comics community. CBLDF had appearances at WonderCon, New York Comic Con, and we saw the triumphant return of the CBLDF opening night party and the CBLDF Art Auction at San Diego Comic-Con.
4. Gender Queer Tops Most Challenged Book List of 2021
As part of National Library Week, American Library Association released their Top Ten Challenged Books of 2021. Each year, ALA compiles the report and list from information gathered from library staff across the country year-round. Schools, universities, and libraries received 729 challenges covering 1,597 books and materials. This marks the highest number of challenges in a single year since the tracking began twenty years ago. (more)
3. Citizens in Llano, TX File Suit After Book and Graphic Novel Removal
Spinning, the Eisner Award-winning graphic novel by Tillie Walden, is one of several books that prompted a federal lawsuit Monday. Citizens from Llano County, Texas, a county Northwest of Austin, have filed the suit against the county and several public servants. The documents allege a breach of their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights. The lawsuit states that the plaintiffs are “fiercely united in their love for reading public library books and in their belief that the government cannot dictate which books they can and cannot read.” (more) (UPDATE)
2. States Introduce Targeted Legislation
As the challenges in schools and libraries rose, we also saw the rise of bills introduced at the state level that aimed to keep certain books out of school. Many, such as the bills we reported on from Utah and Missouri, use vague language and criminalization as a scare tactic to instigate removals as well as targeting the visual nature of comics.
Utah HB 374 and the Book Challenge Landslide
Missouri: Part 1: — Banning Comics in St. Louis
Missouri: Part 2: — SB 775
1. Gender Queer Victory in Virginia Beach
Tuesday, August 30, marked a victory for Maia Kobabe and er graphic novel Gender Queer as a Virginia judge dismissed the lawsuit against it. The case that targeted both Gender Queer and A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas would have labeled both books obscene. (more)
CBLDF and its partners have been battling ongoing and organized attempts to censor comics and other books in schools and libraries. You can join the struggle by making a donation or reporting censorship today!