Free expression is democracy.
Join us to fight censorship.
Because words matter.
Courtnee Carter performing for 2023’s Banned Together Podcast / Photo by Douglas Gorenstein
Censorship Hotline
1-855-71-WORDS
Action Task Force Alerts
In accordance with the DLDF's mission to advocate on behalf of those confronting censorship and related issues, the Action Task Force was created to more immediately respond to such interests and activate the broader community of dramatists. Action Task Force Alerts give community members specific ways to contribute to and engage with such efforts.
-
Goal:
Expression of support for state arts agencies, which may be subjected to the same limitations as National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grant recipients prohibiting any activities that could be construed as supporting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives (DEI).
Target:
Representatives and senators in state legislatures empowered to fund state arts.
Identifying Your State Representatives:
https://live.cicerodata.com/live/local
Identifying Your State Arts Agency:
https://nasaa-arts.org/state-arts-agencies/saa-directory/
Message:
"I want to express my unwavering support for arts funding through [insert name of your state arts agency]. Arts organizations should not be subject to limits on content aligned with political goals which restrict free speech and freedom of expression. The arts are a vital tool for the well-being of all citizens and demonstrated drivers of economic activity. Last year, nonprofit arts organizations generated $135 billion worth of economic activity that supported 4.1 million jobs in their communities. State arts councils are essential and must be supported, free of censorship and external control."
Note:
At this time, a lawsuit led by the ACLU has prompted the removal of language against gender identity, so that is not the priority at this time. We will reach out if it returns to the NEA guidelines.
Deadline:
Within six days of issuance of receiving this alert.
Political offices focus more on tallies of those for and against issues, not the nuance and eloquence of communication. Brief messages, by voice, email, or letter, are most effective.
Questions?
A resource in defense of the First Amendment for theatre writers.
The Dramatists Guild created the Dramatists Legal Defense Fund (DLDF) to advocate, educate, and provide aid to indigent writers and artists who cannot defend themselves. This aid and advocacy may take the form of letters, articles, and lectures in public fora, intervention in litigation through amicus briefs and expert testimony, or finding affordable representation for those caught up in these disputes.
Advocating for the theatre against censorship.
The Dramatists Legal Defense Fund advocates not only for writers, but for theaters and other theater artists (as well as audiences, schools, students, and the culture at large), all of whom are confronting censorship and other related issues of public import, including the diminishment of the public domain. And the DLDF educates…not only about the importance to our society of free expression, rational copyright regulation and an ever-expanding public domain, but about the industry standards that have evolved over the past hundred years to protect the development and production of dramatic works in America, in order to bring to theaters and theater audiences a fuller understanding of the theater business and the playwright’s vital role in it.
Are You An Attorney?
If you are an attorney, or know of any, or are aware of any legal service group that would offer pro bono or discounted representation on these sorts of issues, please allow us to include them in our national legal services directory.
