In a 5-2 vote, the Clarke Country School Board in Athens, Georgia, has ordered Superintendent Philip Lanoue to reconsider his decision regarding Thomas Rivera’s award-winning novel And the Earth Did Not Devour Him. But this isn’t a case of a…
Category: Education
Obscenity Case Files: Zap Comix #4
This edition of the obscenity files turns to the world of comics (or rather, comix) to take a look at the arrest and prosecution of two salespeople who sold a Robert Crumb underground comic that featured an all-American incestual orgy…
ALA Says Video Games Should be Welcome in Libraries
Over the past several months, video games deemed violent have once again become a favored scapegoat of those looking for a simple explanation for mass shootings perpetrated by young males. But as we’ve noted time and time again, no reputable…
Illinois School District Lifts Ban on The Perks of Being a Wallflower
In a victory for free speech, the Glen Ellyn, Illinois, school board reversed course, rescinding a ban on acclaimed novel Perks of Being a Wallflower! With a vote of 6 to 1, the Glen Ellyn school board returned the book…
Embattled Mexican American Studies Program Finds Another Way
Despite a federal court ruling that upheld the law that led to the dissolution of Tucson’s acclaimed Mexican American Studies program, reports continue to indicate some version of the program may be reinstated in Tucson classrooms. Two former instructors for…
Help Defend The Perks of Being a Wallflower
A few weeks ago, the school board in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, voted 4-2 to remove The Perks of Being a Wallflower from district classrooms. The school board is reviewing their decision on June 10, and we need your help defending…
Australian Student Newspaper Forced to Pull Satirical Islam Cartoon
What are the limits on religious satire? Recently, Woroni, the student newspaper of the Australian National University, was forced by the school to remove and apologize for a cartoon that satirized Islam. If the Woroni case were a routine matter of…
The Cases That Define Obscene or Protected Speech
Much of the groundwork for CBLDF’s mission was laid in a series of pivotal legal cases, many of which predate CBLDF’s founding in 1986. These cases helped define what constituted obscene speech and what types of speech are granted First…
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…
Perks of Being a Wallflower Pulled from Illinois Junior High School
One of the most frequently banned and challenged books of the past decade has once again been pulled from public school classrooms after one set of parents objected to its content. Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which…