Update June 23, 2019:
The CBLDF announced they have accepted the resignation of Executive Director Charles Brownstein, effective immediately. They said, “We hear and understand the concerns of our community and recognize that this is only a first step in building greater trust and understanding regarding our mission and how it is carried out.”
Original story is as follows:
Some creators, like James Tynion IV and Tyler Crook, said they knew about the allegation, and had already stopped supporting the CBLDF, while others, like Lilah Sturges and Jamal Igle, said they only found out this week, and would be following suit. Ewing, Brian Michael Bendis, and Ales Kot were among those who opined that even if Brownstein left, they’d need to be convinced the organization was still worth supporting: Bendis felt there are other people at the CBLDF who should leave because they “protected him.”
More allegations have surfaced: Taki Soma herself tweeted, “There were other victims. I know them,” while former deputy director Mike Scigliano added Brownstein “harassed me 10+ years ago when I was deputy dir. [of] the CBLDF over my severe illness & subsequent Crohn’s Disease diagnosis[,] to the point that my doctor advised me to quit. I resigned w/ a detailed letter to the board. No response from any of them.” Comedian Jill Friedman, who worked for CBLDF in 2008, said, “It was a toxic, abusive, misogynistic environment. Even during my tenure, people refused to support us because of our Executive Director. I left within a year.”
Founded in 1986, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is a non-profit organization that is meant to protect the right of comic book retailers, creators, publishers, librarians, and readers to free speech. Many publishers and retailers are members of the CBLDF, and many prominent individuals in the comic book industry serve on its committees of directors and advisors. Brownstein is one of five staff members, and has been executive director of the group since 2002.
