The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, the industry’s leading voice for free speech advocacy and education, has released a statement announcing that Christina Merkler has been named the organization’s new president following a unanimous vote of the board of directors. Merkler is the co-founder of popular online comic book retailer Discount Comic Book Service, which she owns and operates alongside her husband Cameron.
Joining Merkler on the board are Vice President Chris Powell, VP – Retailer Services at Diamond Comics Distributors; Treasurer Ted Adams, Founder of IDW; and CBLDF Secretary Dale Cendali, Partner at Kirkland & Ellis.
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“There’s never been a more important time to protect the First Amendment rights of the comic book community,” said Merkler. “As president, I look forward to working closely with the CBLDF board and the staff to continue the organization’s important work in supporting comic book retailers, creators, educators and librarians whose First Amendment rights are being challenged.”
For just over 30 years now, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund has made it its mission to take on censorship in the comic book world, helping to cover the legal fees of comic book creators who have come under fire for their work and providing education on the dangers of censorship. The organization describes its goal as “protecting, preserving and promoting the freedom to read comics.”
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One of the most recent cases the CBLDF found itself in was the organizations steadfast defense of the popular, yet controversial graphic novel Fun Home, which was targeted for suppression by parents and conservative leaders for its portrayal of homosexuality in such places as South Carolina and New Jersey.
In regard to education and activism, the CBLDF, alongside the National Coalition Against Censorship, also released the free comic book Be Heard! by cartoonist Kai Texel earlier this year. The book aimed to help project students’ rights by helping them learn how to assert their rights to free speech, protest, assembly and petition, as well as providing helpful resources. The organization also recently partnered with Image Comics to produce a line of anti-censorship variant covers.