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…
Category: Education
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…
Victory in Defense of Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl
Two weeks ago, Comic Book Legal Defense Fund joined the Kids Right to Read Project and several other free speech organizations in signing a letter in defense of Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl. In a victory for…
CBLDF Executive Director Speaking at This Weekend’s TCAF Librarian & Educator Day
CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein will be participating in the second annual Librarian & Educator Day at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival this weekend! On Friday, May 10, you can join Brownstein and a panel of library all stars for…
How Comics Conquered Libraries
Not so very long ago, comic books in libraries were exceedingly rare. Even those libraries that did carry comics often relegated them to the children’s department, with little attention given to building a diverse, quality collection. But over the past…
Obscenity Case Files: Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District
The case Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District is special for several reasons. First, Tinker is a landmark case that defines the constitutional rights of students in public schools. But more importantly, Tinker shows that people can make…
CBLDF Signs On To Protect Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl
Comic Book Legal Defense Fund joins nine other free speech organizations who signed a letter to Northville School District in Michigan urging them to keep the definitive edition of Anne Frank’s A Diary of a Young Girl in middle school…
Defending the Freedom to Read by Reporting Challenges
Last week, the American Library Association’s Office of Intellectual Freedom offered “Defend the Freedom to Read: Reporting Challenges,” a free webinar presented by OIF Assistant Director Angela Maycock. The webinar is now available online. ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom tracks…
Obscenity Case Files: United States v. One Book Called “Ulysses”
James Augusta Aloysius Joyce is considered to be one of the most influential writers of the early 20th century. His book Ulysses has been called one of the most challenging and rewarding novels ever written and is considered to be…