In the days since two gunmen targeted a conference and Muhammad cartoon contest organized by anti-Muslim activist Pamela Geller in Garland, Texas, many Americans have been forced to grapple with what it means to support free speech for all —…
Tag: north america
San Francisco Celebrates Ron Turner Day in Style
Underground comix legend and Last Gasp founder Ron Turner got some well-deserved recognition from his home city of San Francisco this week, as the Cartoon Art Museum and the Charles M. Schulz Museum presented him their annual Sparky Award which…
Anime News Network Highlights Banned Manga
A recent feature from Anime News Network about 7 Manga Banned Around the Globe brought to our attention a few instances of manga censorship that we haven’t covered because they predate our news blog by a few years. We did…
Texas ACLU Uncovers Multiple Challenges to Comics in 2013-2014
While recently looking into the cases that landed three comics on the Top Ten List of Frequently Challenged Books for 2014, we came across a veritable treasure trove of challenges that had flown under our radar: the Texas ACLU’s Annual…
CBLDF Joins Protest of Waterloo Ban on Absolutely True Diary
In advance of a school board meeting in Waterloo, Iowa this evening, CBLDF has joined with five other organizational members of the National Coalition Against Censorship to send a letter urging that the board follow district policy regarding a challenge…
North Carolina Woman Challenges Absolutely True Diary for Second Time
The Brunswick County, North Carolina woman who last year waged a fruitless months-long battle to have Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian banned from a local middle school has resurfaced this week to challenge the same…
Jefferson Center Muzzle Awards Bestow Dishonor For Free Speech Violations
It’s time once again for the Muzzle Awards, presented annually by the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression to “recognize” individuals or organizations that have committed egregious violations against free speech in the past year. This year the undignified winners…
What Do We Know About the Frequently Challenged Comics of 2014?
Following the news that comics made up almost a third of the books on the American Library Association’s Top Ten List of Frequently Challenged Books for 2014, we did a bit of investigating for more information on the challenges that…
Iowa Teachers Fight Ban of Absolutely True Diary
School district administrators and teachers in Waterloo, Iowa are currently locked in a debate as to whether Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is appropriate for middle school classrooms. The district’s curriculum director sent an email…
Minnesota Proposes Classroom Censorship Bills
Three similar bills recently introduced in the Minnesota legislature would require school districts to notify parents or guardians every time a fellow parent, guardian, or an adult student deems instructional material such as books or movies to be “sexually explicit…