Last year Washington County libraries were asked to take down LGBTQIA displays for Pride Month, replacing them this year with exhibits featuring the more generic “Diversity” theme. But when the librarians felt like they should do more to represent Pride,…
Author: Patricia Mastricolo
Decree 349 – Cuba’s New Legislation to Silence Artists
Starting in December, the Cuban Government hopes to have pre-approval overall Cuban arts and literature, according to the dystopian sounding Decree 349. The legislation was introduced in July in the official Cuban state paper, Gaceta de Cuba, and has spawned…
Chilean Journalist Faces 3 Years in Prison for Recounting a Crime Committed by a Convicted Criminal
The first hearing for a Chilean journalist charged with defamation is scheduled for this week, and the results could have a chilling effect on freedom of the press in the country. Javier Ignacio Rebolledo Escobar, faces three years in prison…
Google Reverses Position on Free Expression
Disturbing news came out of the tech sector last week when a whistleblower released documents showing that Google is trying to re-enter the Chinese market with a search engine that conforms to the draconian censorship laws China’s internet is bound…
Image Comics Creators Fight Censorship!
Image teams with Comic Book Legal Defense Fund for powerful anti-censorship variants this September This September, Image Comics fights censorship with a powerful line of variant covers to benefit Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF), the industry’s voice for free…
Banned Comics for the End of Summer Reading
With the heat on full blast outside, and the thoughts of fall looming, graphic novels can be a great way to relax at the end of the summer. Whether you read solo, with you family, as part of a book…
Survey Shows First Amendment is a Mystery to Many
Freedom Forum Institute released the results from their annual State of the First Amendment survey, and 40% of participants could not name even one of the freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights. Out of the…
Free Speech Falters in Hong Kong
Hong Kong has been in the news a lot recently for failures of protecting free speech. A popular book by a world-famous author being label indecent. Children’s books being removed to a “closed section.” Freedom of the press in danger…
Malaysian Cartoonist Zunar Finally Free From Sedition Charges
Malaysian cartoonist Zunar has finally been acquitted of the sedition charges leveled at him in 2015 by Malaysia’s previous ruling party. The nine charges stemmed, not from his political cartoons, but for his tweets about the corruption of the government,…
Anne Ishii, Bara Manga Renaissance Woman, Appointed Executive Director of Asian Arts Initiative
Asian Arts Initiative announced recently that Anne Ishii will be joining the organization as their new Executive Director. Asian Arts Initiative (AAI) is dedicated to creating community through the power of art. Founded in 1993 in response to the growing…