Lubbock Left

According to the Avalanche-Journal, the ACLU of Texas is taking action in the Buddy Holly Center censorship issue:

The ACLU wants to know:

• Why were artist Lahib Jaddo’s drawings banned?

• What are the Buddy Holly Center’s sources of funding?

• What are the center’s policies for selecting, displaying and removing works of art in its gallery?

“Censoring a work of art simply because it doesn’t match a city official’s tastes violates the First Amendment,” said Lisa Graybill, legal director for the ACLU of Texas.

Scott Snider, an assistant city manager, said in a prepared statement that he is the city official who refused to allow Jaddo’s drawings of a nude pregnant woman and a semi-nude nursing mother to be shown during December’s First Friday Art Trail at the Buddy Holly Center.

As a card-carrying member of the ACLU, I am very pleased to see the initiative of the Lubbock Chapter in bringing the statewide organization to city hall. I hope this will result in a clear and fair policy regarding art in civic spaces as well as an apology from the assistant city manager who is responsible for this mess.