Japanese manga promotes juvenile delinquency, violence, and sex — these were some of the reasons that the Chinese Ministry of Culture used to outright ban 38 Japanese manga and anime. But some are beginning to explore whether similar Chinese-produced materials…
Tag: censorship
Japan Censors Artist for Vagina Kayak
In a country that celebrates the male phallus, Japanese artist Rokudenashiko has been charged with the distribution and dissemination of obscene materials and faces up two years in prison and a $20,000 fine for using her own vagina as the…
Comics Experience Course Teaches Creators the Ins and Outs of Comics Law
From the banning of books to physical attacks against cartoonists, it is more important than ever for comics creators to understand their legal rights to best protect themselves and their intellectual property. The creators workshop Comics Experience has designed an…
SDCC 2015: CBLDF in the News
Comic-Con International has wrapped up for another year, and CBLDF was proud to be part of the action, with educational panels and much more in support of our work defending comics from censorship. Let’s take a look at reporting about…
Statewide Reading Program Prompts Discussion of LGBTQ Censorship
Schools around the state of Vermont are celebrating the freedom to read by participating in a statewide reading program that this year picked Salman Rushdie’s Haroun and the Sea of Stories, a book that serves as an allegory for censorship.…
New Law Would Censor the Internet in South Africa
Right now, South Africa’s government is considering a new and highly controversial digital content law that, if passed unaltered, would essentially authorize widespread censorship of the internet. The Online Regulation Policy drafted by the Film and Publication Board of South…
Iranians Embrace Ebooks to Combat Censorship
In Iran, ordinary words like “kiss,” “dance,” and “wine” can be cause for a printed book to be vetted and censored. Laws that would prohibit the publication of words such as these as well as legally empower the ministry of…
New York Venue Censors Neil LaBute’s Anti-Censorship Monologue
The New York theater scene is known for putting on some of the most controversial plays, but not when it comes to the monologue Mohammed Gets a Boner. The Sheen Center for Thought and Culture in Greenwich Village made a…
Cartoonists Under Threat Around the World
“The world is unfortunately waking up to the power and influence of cartoonists, [responding] through the exercise of violence and murder.” So said Robert Russell, executive director of Cartoonist Rights Network International, in the recent report, “Drawing the Line: Cartoonists…
Maus Pulled from Russia Bookstores for Depicting Nazi Propaganda
Although no formal complaints were issued, several major bookstore chains in Russia have begun pulling the Pulitzer Prize winning graphic novel Maus off of their store shelves and internet sites. The reason: The cover depicts a Nazi swastika. According to…