#defendthe11

If you aren’t up on the latest indie comics news, eleven members of our community were hit with a defamation lawsuit after speaking out against an alleged sexual predator in our community, and SPX has set up a legal defense fundraiser for them to help fight this in court. You can learn more about the context of the lawsuit in this TCJ article.

I stand with the defendants and I believe them. Having seen these type of lawsuits threatened in my personal life, I believe they are a vile act of legal violence meant to emotionally and financially abuse the defendants into silence. We cannot allow bad actors to get away with legally terrorizing our communities this way.

I am donating five merch packages (pictured above) to the first five people that donate $25+ USD to the legal defense fund and email me with proof at [email protected], in addition to the address you want the package sent to. Packages include two hard enamel pins, two holographic stickers, one mini comic, a hand-drawn thank you note, and free shipping within the USA. I am willing to ship internationally but you will have to PayPal me additional money ($6-10 USD) to help cover the high price of international shipping. 

First come first served, will update this post as packages are claimed.

(via Whit Taylor on Twitter: "Thanks for the shout out. Last year was challenging, but I’m still here with the rest of the 11 doing what we think is right. Our gofundme is still up too. #defendthe11 https://t.co/LR4pDmDwc5")

NJ native Whit Taylor was mentioned in Comics Beat’s 2018 “Creator Survey” results (http://www.comicsbeat.com/and-the-comics-industry-persons-of-the-year-are-stan-lee-and-olivia-jaimes/)  in reference to last year’s defamation lawsuit brought against the 11 members of the independent comics community. The gofundme campaign to cover the groups legal costs can be found here:

https://t.co/X0OvC8lAUv

(via Whit Taylor on Twitter: "Thank you so much @SPXcomics for your hard work and kindness. Fundraiser is now live. #defendthe11 https://t.co/X0OvC8lAUv")

via: https://www.gofundme.com/SPX-Support-The-11

Last month, eleven members of the independent comics community along with one publisher were served with a defamation lawsuit because of concerns they raised about a fellow creator’s alleged pattern of sexual misconduct. Whit Taylor, Laura Knetzger, Josh O’Neill, Tom Kaczynski, Hazel Newlevant, Emma Louthan, Ben Passmore, Emi Gennis, Jordan Shiveley, Morgan Pielli and Rob Clough, as well as the indie comics publisher Uncivilized Books, all need our help to defend themselves against these charges! SPX has established a legal aid fund to support these members of our creative community in their time of need. SPX is organizing this fund in consultation with the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, which brings legal and fundraising experience to our effort. When news of the lawsuit reached us, SPX pledged $20,000 to ensure these creators have immediate access to quality legal representation - but defending these charges of defamation is likely to be a long and expensive process. In fact, nearly three-quarters of SPX’s initial pledge has already been paid to the lawyers prior to the launch of this GoFundMe campaign! This GoFundMe is the next step in raising the funds that will be needed to help these eleven people defend themselves. Depending on how the legal process unfolds, additional fundraisers may be needed in the future. Cases of this nature can continue for years, and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, so please contribute today! And please check back for updates as they become available.

Please consider supporting NJ native comic maker Whit Taylor @whimsicalnobodycomics​ . For more background, see: