849 search results for "Banned Books Week"

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Latino and Native Authors Keep Tucson Book Ban in the News

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In late January, CBLDF joined a coalition of national anti-censorship organizations in protesting the dissolution of Tucson’s Mexican American Studies program, which led to the removal of books and anthologies by Latino and Native American authors from classrooms. Many of the authors who contributed to the books that were banned from classrooms have taken their protest a step further by participating in caravans that have “smuggled” the banned books into Arizona.

Click through for a summary of how authors and various organizations are working to overturn Tucson’s policy.

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CBLDF Joins Free Speech Groups In Protesting PayPal Censorship

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Last week, we reported on PayPal’s new policy regarding erotic content and their requirement that e-book publishers remove certain types of content — incest, pseudo-incest, rape fantasies, bestiality (including non-human fantasy characters) — or face deactivation of their accounts. In response, the American Book Sellers Foundation for Free Expression and the National Coalition Against Censorship sent PayPal a letter decrying the policy.

The list of organizations signing on to ABFFE and NCAC’s letter is growing, and CBLDF has joined the coalition against PayPal’s erotic content policy. Click through for the full text of the letter CBLDF signed.

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ABFFE and NCAC Protest PayPal’s Erotic Content Policy

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The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression and the National Coalition Against Censorship have written a letter to PayPal and parent company eBay in protest of PayPal’s threat to deactivate the accounts of publishers over certain kinds of erotic content.

Last week, it was revealed that PayPal had sent letters to several publishers threatening deactivation of their accounts if they did not remove content depicting incest, pseudo-incest, rape fantasies, bestiality (including non-human fantasy characters), and BDSM. In response, independent publisher e-books Smashwords notified its authors that they would need to remove the content in question because, in its words, “It is not feasible for us to switch to another provider, should such a suitable provider even exist.”

Read the full text of ABFFE and BCAC’s letter after the jump.

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Features, Homepage

Why Tucson Matters

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Last year, the state of Arizona passed HB 2281, a controversial bill that resulted in the termination of the highly praised Mexican American Studies program in the Tucson Independent School District. The program was ended despite an independent audit that advocated for its continuation.

Last week, TUSD released a list of books that would be removed from classrooms and put in indefinite storage. The banned books included contributions from a virtual who’s who of Mexican American and Native American authors and artists…

Keep reading…

Please help support CBLDF’s important First Amendment work by making a donation or becoming a member of the CBLDF!

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Features, Fundraising, Homepage, News Blog

CBLDF at SDCC: The Roundup

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Comic-Con has come and gone, and with it, another exciting week of events with CBLDF!

From the debut of new t-shirts and new Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab fragrances to CBLDF Master Sessions with some of the biggest names in the industry to our annual benefit auction, the Fund had a great week at Booth 1920, talking to supporters old and new and getting the word out about our Canada Customs Case, thanks in large part to Bonfire Agency and their new consumer ad campaign.

Read on for more photos and coverage of CBLDF’s trip to Comic-Con!

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Features, Fundraising, Headline, Homepage, News Blog

CBLDF Looks to Canada Customs Case

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Last week, CBLDF announced that we are forming a coalition to defend a new case involving an American citizen facing charges in Canada that could result in a minimum sentence of one year in prison and registering as a sex offender.

In 2010, an American citizen, computer programmer, and comic book enthusiast in his mid-20s was flying from his home in the United States to Canada to visit a friend. Upon arrival at Canadian Customs, a customs officer conducted a search of the American and his personal belongings, including his laptop, iPad, and iPhone. The customs officer discovered manga on the laptop and deemed it child pornography. Consequently, the American has been charged with both the possession of child pornography as well as its importation into Canada. As a result, if convicted at trial, the American faces a minimum of one year in prison.

Since the announcement, more information about the case emerged in the ensuing media coverage. more

CBLDF needs your help! Please make a monetary contribution here. Find out more on the case here. If you or someone you know is traveling internationally, please read our Advisory on traveling with comics before getting on the plane.

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Fundraising, Homepage, News Blog

A Con Grows In Stumptown

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Last Friday comics creators and fans converged on a rain streaked Portland night to kick off the 2011 Stumptown Comics Festival. A growing showcase for handcrafted comics and art, Stumptown behaves less like a traditional comic book convention, and more like a pageant honoring the distinctive creative culture of Portland, Oregon. For three days, the city’s various institutions, including comic shops and galleries host comics focused parties while artists show their wares on the festival’s curated exhibit hall. The CBLDF was there to participate in the festivities.

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Homepage, Legal, News Blog

Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments In Schwarzenegger v. EMA

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This morning the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Schwarzenegger v. EMA, a case addressing whether states can ban the sale of violent video games to minors without also violating the First Amendment. The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund wrote a brief in support of the video game industry, urging the court to to affirm the Ninth Circuit’s decision that a California law banning the sale or rental of any video game containing violent content to minors, and requiring manufacturers to label such games, is unconstitutional. The CBLDF brief emphasizes the history of moral panic that led to the comics industry being decimated in the wake of government scrutiny in the 1950s.

Early reports from oral arguments indicate that members of the court were “sympathetic” to the California law, but strongly questioned its constitutionality. Full story, with links to analysis and transcripts, follows the break.

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Fundraising, Homepage, News Blog, Press Releases

The CBLDF Salutes Chicago With A World Class C2E2!

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This weekend the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund lands in the windy city with an incredible array of events and exclusives for our supporters at the inaugural edition of C2E2! Join us for An Evening with Neil Gaiman with special items from CBLDF, BPAL & Neverwear; Signings with Tony Harris; an exclusive new print by Gaiman and Harris; and the launch of the CBLDF Exclusive Benefit BPAL fragrance Banned in Boston!

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