Free expression rights for public school students were resoundingly reaffirmed today, as the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a Pennsylvania school district’s argument that it could prohibit students from wearing breast cancer awareness bracelets that read “I ♥ boobies!”…
Frank Miller, Dave Gibbons, and Image Comics Thank CBLDF’s UK Supporters at London Super Comic-Con!
Next week, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund will make its first ever UK appearance at the London Super Comic Con, occurring March 15 and 16, where supporters will receive exclusive thank you gifts from Frank Miller, Dave…
ComicsPRO 2014: Retailers Support Free Speech with CBLDF!
Last weekend, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund was thrilled to participate in the ComicsPRO Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia where we made announcements about our 2014 program work and revealed the editor of this year’s Liberty Annual! ComicsPRO continues…
Ultraman Loses Battle Against Malaysian Government
Malaysian Home Affairs Ministry has banned the Malay language edition of popular Japanese comic Ultraman, The Ultrapower stating that the book contains “elements that can undermine public security and societal morals,” according to the Associated Press. The…
Kansas Lawmakers Consider Bill that Would Enable Prosecution of Educators for “Offensive” Material
Lawmakers in the Kansas Senate are considering a draconian new bill that would make it easier to prosecute educators and other school officials for using “offensive” materials in classrooms and libraries. Senate Bill 401 was proposed in…
Japanese Vandal Targets Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl
An insidious sort of censorship is taking place in Japan: Someone has vandalized hundreds of copies of Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl at public libraries throughout Tokyo. The vandalism began early last year, with a copy…
Instead of Shielding Kids from Cartoon Violence, Why Not Address It Honestly?
Amongst all the stories of parents blaming books, video games, movies, and TV for corrupting their children, it can sometimes be easy to forget that these are only the loudest and most sensational voices; there…
Art Exhibit Censored at Kennesaw State University
The president of Georgia’s Kennesaw State University set a poor precedent for free expression in the school’s new art museum last week when he ordered an exhibit censored before the building had even opened to the public. During a walkthrough…
CBLDF Joins Coalition Urging Supreme Court to Uphold Right to Bring First Amendment Challenges
This week, a coalition of free speech advocates, media organizations, booksellers, librarians, and publishers — including CBLDF and Dark Horse Comics — submitted an amicus brief (friend-of-the-court brief) in Susan B. Anthony List…
VICTORY IN NORTH CAROLINA: The House of the Spirits Survives Final Challenge
On Thursday, February 27, nearly 200 people packed Courtroom 1 in the Watauga Country Courthouse to find out the fate of Isabel Allende’s The House of the Spirits. With a vote of 3-2, the school board elected…
Bechdel, SC Residents Respond to Punitive Proposed Funding Cuts
Last week, a South Carolina House of Representatives committee approved a punitive funding cut for the College of Charleston because the school selected Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home for an optional summer reading program. Now,…
Using Graphic Novels in Education: King
Welcome to Using Graphic Novels in Education, an ongoing feature from CBLDF that is designed to allay confusion around the content of graphic novels and to help parents and teachers raise readers. In this column, we examine graphic novels, including…
South Park Video Game Sticks it to Censors Over Alien Probing
The the oft-delayed and highly anticipated role-playing video game South Park: The Stick of Truth is finally hitting the shelves next week. However, a leaked reviewer’s guide for European journalists has revealed that the…
True Tales of Censorship: Craig Fisher and His Stay in The House of Spirits
Craig Fisher is an Associate Professor of English at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, where he teaches film studies as well as comics classes. Although Fisher teaches some infamously challenged books in his courses, he…
Fate of The House of the Spirits to Be Decided This Week
After months of contentious and sometimes divisive debate, the fate of Isabel Allende’s The House of the Spirits is set to be decided tomorrow evening. The award-winning novel was challenged in Watauga High School in Boone, North…