The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund has announced its latest steps towards restructuring and education, following the resignation of executive director Charles Brownstein earlier this week due to sexual misconduct allegations. The CBLDF, a non-profit that helps protect the First Amendment rights of comic book creators, publishers, retailers, and readers, put out a statement on Thursday night, outlining what their plan will be going forward. In the statement, which you can read below, the CBLDF confirms their support of Brownstein’s victims, and reveals that they’re undergoing a “complete review of management practices”, as well as mandatory training about sexually predatory behavior.
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You can read the statement below.
“First and foremost, the CBLDF is grateful that Kris Simon has come forward. We also want to recognize Taki Soma for what she endured and for bringing this to light. Both have our full support. We are releasing Shy Allot from the NDA she signed in 2010 when she left the organization so that her story can also be heard.
CBLDF’s Board is undergoing a complete review of management practices and where we have fallen short. We are examining our mission to ensure it meets modern industry needs, and will do so with input from our full-time staff, expert third parties, and the comics and manga community.
The entire CBLDF staff and the Board will participate in mandatory training to educate ourselves about how to better respond to and eliminate such behavior. We will make whatever changes are necessary, including the makeup and structure of the board itself. As has been announced previously, Charles Brownstein has left the organization.
The CBLDF and comics industry must create an atmosphere where all creators, employees and readers are welcome and safe. Our hope is, over time, our continued focus on our mission will allow us to be a trusted ally to everyone who loves comics.”
Brownstein had previously served as executive director for CBLDF since 2002. Earlier this week, comic creators and fans both began to call for Brownstein’s resignation, after the story of his assault of Soma at 2005’s Mid-Ohio Con came back into the spotlight. While the incident was reported to the police at the time, it did not lead to Brownstein’s arrest, reportedly due to a lack of corroborating evidence. In 2006, Brownstein put out a statement characterizing the incident as “a stupid, drunken prank, of which I am ashamed.”
