CBLDF supporting LGBTQIA - Add an "S" for STRAIGHT please!

Have either of you been following the efforts of the CBLDF? I'm curious about your thoughts on it. Just glancing at a recent printed update they put out, it seems to be very largely a LGBTQIA (actual quote, no letters added) advocate, rather than an organization merely dedicated to helping pay legal fees of artists and comic shop owners who have run into trouble with the law. Many of their battles now seem to be about getting books back into public schools (both libraries and curriculums) that were banned for including sexual lifestyles that just a few years ago were completely societally unacceptable. Many of these books are for the elementary school level.

I remember a couple of decades ago visiting a store in Glendale, California that carried a large number of books that were sexually explicit. I didn't have a problem with that, but I did have a problem with the fact that, rather than separating out the R or X rated books, all of their books were organized alphabetically. There were Archie comics immediately next to graphic sex books. I complained about it and was assured it was only temporary. I went back a year or so later and the temporary situation had not changed. Sometime after that, the store got into legal trouble and was helped by the CBLDF. I spoke to a representative at Comic-Con and was told that the books being all mixed together wasn't the legal charge against the store. I couldn't help but suspect that had their books not all been mixed together the store wouldn't have been charged for carrying offensive material. There were a lot of stores in L.A. county at the time that carried the same material, but kept it separated from the kids books and I don't recall hearing about them running into the same legal trouble.

It looks to me like the organization has gone beyond protecting freedom of speech. What are your thoughts?

Lynn

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I fear that a lot of once well-intentioned organizations and individuals have fallen victim to the discovery of how much money is available in serving the corrupt and the predators. Since assisting and supporting Operation Underground Railroad, and renewing communications with old acquaintances in Korea, Thailand, and Southern Texas/Northern Mexico towns, I've learned and seen how very ugly well-respected fellow countrymen and women can be - and how much they are invested in sexualizing and trading in children.

I no longer trust the CBLDF, among many other people whom I once thought were merely mistaken, and cannot support them.

Chet

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If any of you readers tap into this and have thoughts, or would like to be a part of this conversation, please do so...

Let’s face it.  First, we’re running out of letters… LGBTQIA?  Seriously?  I had to Google what the “I” and “A” meant being the first time I’ve seen this…  Can we add an “S” for "STRAIGHT" please as we’re becoming a minority! I feel that we’re going to begin making this a Sesame Street rap song to merge children’s working knowledge of the subject into mainstream media… (You know it’s coming if they haven’t already, from the sounds of the book organization at that store…)

Secondly, if the CBLDF supports LGBTQIA… *hrumph that’s a mouthful… I feel they can advocate as long as they don't forget others that need representation as mentioned in their mission statement:

Taken verbatim from their webpage:

"Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of the First Amendment rights of the comics art form and its community of retailers, creators, publishers, librarians, and readers. The CBLDF provides legal referrals, representation, advice, assistance, and education in furtherance of these goals."

http://cbldf.org/about-us/

Here’s an article reflecting a similar scenario posted on their own website:

http://cbldf.org/2015/07/cbldf-joins-coalition-defending-lgbtq-childrens-books-in-hood-county/

The difference here is that parenting is getting trickier with the masses voting for equality.  We used to be able to govern and parent under a taboo non-talked about code that didn’t challenge or introduce ideas that were controversial, and whereas I know change is difficult, it really just adds the strain onto my parenting skills.  I remember learning about the facts of life from torn discarded Playboy pages in the dirt hills behind my home, not from my parents.  Did it warp my expectations, maybe a little, but as an individual, I still got to make those choices about who I would become.  We should put more weight on the decisions of our children too, and trust they will remain open to concepts and ideas.  Just because I don’t chose to live that way of life doesn’t make me a bad parent.  It just makes me a different type of parent.

My kids will learn from me to a point, then they will make their own decisions.  When they do, I get to face those challenges then.  Where I feel the biggest problem that comes from these “causes” is that those involved often forget the definition to “equality”.  I’m good with equality.  I’m not good with being dominated by agenda driven evangelists that convince my children to “explore” their lifestyles because kids don’t filter the way adults do.  Kids are more inclusive and are constantly looking to be part of the norm when they are younger.  When they rebel, I’m sure those solutions will be derivative of these materials for some parents too.  

To draw a point to Chet’s thoughts, money is a hard push for these causes as they warrant attention, insight controversy, and seem to pull out the worst factors of humanity first before addressing the descent people within.  If there was no money in this, I imagine there would be less attention, less coverage, less credence and we would all be considered a common species instead of a segregated one, but then again… where’s the money in that?

It falls on us parents to raise our kids with our ideals.  Our tolerances.  Our understanding there is a world of different types of people out there.  To avoid harm, and help others.  To be respectful, and to know when to stand their ground for what they believe. To accept radical new ideas, but learn to avoid the self destructive ones.  

Now if you add religion to the mix, that’s a whole other e-mail….

—Ian

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