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Hello!
I’m Betsy Rosenblatt, the new CBLDF Advisory Chair for Outreach and Education. What does that mean? It means that I’ll be volunteering for the CBLDF—and, I hope, working with some of you—to get the word about the CBLDF out to new communities: lawyers, librarians, donors, readers, and everyone else.
Comic-Con is here! CBLDF is celebrating the country’s largest gathering of comics and pop culture fans with massive slate of events! Three parties, Six Live Art Events, an unforgettable auction, the best selection of signed graphic novels at the convention, and amazing exclusives await! Read on to see what the CBLDF has in store for you at Comic-Con!
Comic Book Legal Defense Fund joined a coalition of organizations and local booksellers today in filing suit to block a broad Massachusetts censorship law that bans constitutionally protected speech on the Internet for topics including contraception and pregnancy, sexual health, literature, and art.
Signed in April by Governor Patrick and effective yesterday, the law, Chapter 74 of the Acts of 2010, imposes severe restrictions on the distribution of constitutionally protected speech on the Internet. The law could make anyone who operates a website or communicates through a listserv criminally liable for nudity or sexually related material, if the material can be considered “harmful to minors” under the law’s definition. In effect, it bans from the Internet anything that may be “harmful to minors,” including material adults have a First Amendment right to view. Violators can be fined $10,000 or sentenced to up to five years in prison, or both.
The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund has the best supporters in comics. Artists from all over the world donate to the CBLDF’s efforts at conventions all over the country, which means we pass their generosity on to you! Check the auctions blog on the right column of our home page each and every week for new auctions to benefit our First Amendment legal work! This week’s highlights include donations from Arthur Adams, Camilla D’Errico, Chris Marrinan, Dan Parent, and Erik Arreaga. Check the auctions out by visiting: http://myworld.ebay.com/cbldf/
The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund thanks Ford and Brian K. Vaughan for a $5,000 donation to the Fund in support of the new Ford Fiesta at last week’s Wizard World Philadelphia!
The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is pleased to announce that it is relocating its headquarters to a larger space in New York City. Effective June 1, the new CBLDF address is
255 W. 36th Street,
Suite 501,
New York, NY 10018.
All other contact information remains the same. The CBLDF will be closed until Monday, June 7 while setting up the new office, but can still be reached by emailing info@cbldf.org, or leaving a voice message at 212.679.7151 or 800-99-CBLDF.
Because of the office relocation, fulfillment of memberships and premiums is delayed. If you have already placed an order and it is behind, please feel free to email info@cbldf.org with concerns or questions. If you are interested in placing an order today, please note that our fulfillment operations will resume on Wednesday, June 9th. Thank you for your patience and support during this transition.
“Relocating to the heart of the Midtown West neighborhood into this new space is an essential part of the CBLDF’s growth campaign,” says CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein. “Our new space will allow us to open up to wider options of volunteer programs, fundraising and education work, and to improve our efficiency to better serve our contributors.”
The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is proud to invite you to a Book Expo Welcome Party sponsored by DC Entertainment and Image Comics! Come mingle with some of the brightest lights in the creative, editorial, retail and media communities in this outstanding celebration of the graphic novel! First 150 attendees get a DC/Image Gift bag. $10-$20 Sliding-scale suggested donation, CBLDF Members get in for free.
Please join us at 7pm on Tuesday, May 25th at the lovely Hudson Terrace, located at 621 West 46th st. (Between 11th and 12th) New York, NY 10036
We look forward to seeing you there!
By Alex Goldman
Lars Vilks, a Swedish artist whose depictions of Muhammad have made him the target of threats and an alleged assassination plot, was attacked on Tuesday during a speaking 
engagement at Stockholm’s Uppsala University. Police used pepper spray and batons on protesters as they escorted Vilks from the lecture hall. Vilks, who was giving a lecture about free speech has said that he would like to reschedule the lecture if Uppsala University would allow him.
By Alex Goldman
On Monday, Barack Obama selected Elena Kagan, current Solicitor General of the United States, as his Supreme Court nominee to fill the seat on the court left vacant by departing justice John Paul Stevens. While the media has released a torrent of analysis about everything from her educational background to her personal life, The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is, of course, most concerned with her scholarship and advocacy on First Amendment issues. Scholarly opinion on Kagan’s treatment of the First Amendment seem to be split.
LepreCon36 is an Arizona fan science fiction/fantasy convention dedicated to promoting the genre with an emphasis on art. It is scheduled for May 14-16, 2010 in Mesa, Arizona and will feature the very talented Charles Vess and the enormously popular George R.R. Martin as Guests. They will also have the notable illustrator and author, James A. Owen.
Proceeds from the Charity Auction will benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund! Click here for details on auction items!
Thanks to the LepreCon organizers for choosing the CBLDF as their charity of choice! Is your convention hosting events to benefit the CBLDF? Please email us at info@cbldf.org to let us know, and we’ll help spread the word!