Description of Incident: The State of Maine refused permission to sell three of Shelton Brothers Brewers’ beers because the State deemed their labels “undignified or improper”. The most controversial label was for the beer they call “Santa’s Butt Winter Porter” which features Santa’s fully-clothed derriere perched atop a barrel (or “butt”) of beer. In addition to “Santa’s Butt”, at question were “Les Sans Culottes”, featuring Delacroix’s classic painting “Liberty Leading the People”, and “Rose de Gambrinus”, featuring a watercolor painting of the king of Flanders sitting with a bare-breasted woman.

Results of Incident:  On November 30, 2006, the Maine Civil Liberties Union Foundation (MCLU) filed a case against government censorship on behalf of Daniel Shelton. With the help of MCLU, Shelton won the lawsuit; in a letter dated December 22, 2006, Maine’s Liqour Licensing Unit Inspector Supervisor Jeffrey Austin told Shelton Brothers Brewers that they could register the label for “Santa’s Butt Winter Porter”, which features Santa’s fully-clothed derriere perched atop a barrel (or “butt”) of beer. While Shelton did win his case, unfortunately the ruling did not come in time for the company to be able to get the label out onto the bottles for the 2006 Christmas season. The MCLU has not stopped there; they intend to continue fighting the Maine Bureau of Liquor Enforcement ensuring that they stop censoring all labels.

Description of Incident: Dews’ photography, including the pieces in question, was continually reviewed by his professors and classmates as he produced it. He received an “A” for his work and, after the work was hung for a University exhibit, his professor expressed pleasure at the work. When the exhibit opened around Thanksgiving 2003, a warning was placed outside the exhibit indicating that the show contained some nudity. Before the Christmas holidays, Dews was told that the university’s lawyers had told his professor the pictures might be in violation of state obscenity laws. Prior to the spring semester, Dews was asked to remove his work. When he arrived, he found some of the pictures had already been removed from the exhibition.

Results of Incident: In November 2005, Blake Dews’ sued Troy University saying the school violated his free speech rights by censoring his artwork and implementing a campus speech code that unconstitutionally restricts speech. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Montgomery, contends Troy officials removed portions of Dews’ artwork from a 2003 University exhibit because it feature nudity. Dews’ lawsuit seeks an apology, elimination of the speech code, damages and attorney fees.

Description of Incident: Jef Bourgeau mounted an exhibition in a Pontiac gallery in March, 2000 with an arrangement of reproductions of paintings and photographs of nudes, a limited version of his “Art Until Now” exhibit that was canceled at the Detroit Institute of Arts in November, 1999. Of the Pontiac exhibition, Bourgeau stated: “ I was approached by the owner of the Oakland Arts Center; he said that he would like to put together a panel discussion on censorship. He asked me to curate a complementary exhibition in a recently vacated gallery space in the building. The panel itself would occur in a small hall upstairs. The collage was mounted on a wall at right angels to the street […]. The police took Polaroids in extreme close-up of those works they find the most ‘obscene’ and charged and cite me with presenting ‘obscene materials’”.

Results of Incident: City officials in Pontiac, Michigan pressed obscenity charges against Detroit artist Jef Bourgeau for his exhibition.

Description of Incident: The scandal continues to grow around "Présumés Innocents—L'Art Contemporain et l'Enfance" (Presumed Innocent—Contemporary Art and Childhood). The exhibition, which took place at CAPC Bordeaux from June to October 2000, gave rise to an official judicial inquiry after local children's organization La Mouette lodged a complaint, claiming that the show contained child pornography. Henri-Claude Cousseau, director of the CAPC Bordeaux in 2000 and now director of Paris's École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, was summoned to a judicial inquiry in Bordeaux to answer questions about his role in the exhibition. In addition, the show's cocurators, Marie-Laure Bernadac and Stéphanie Moisdon, were brought before the case's judge, Jean-Louis Croizier. But there appears to be a striking lack of evidence. La Mouette based their complaint on the catalogue, which contains images of artworks that were not in the exhibition while excluding other works that were shown. While La Mouette cited twenty-one artworks—including pieces by the late Robert Mapplethorpe, Christian Boltanski, Elke Krystufek, Ugo Rondinone, Annette Messager, Nan Goldin, Cindy Sherman, and Carsten Höller— The issue surrounding the art exhibit focuses mainly on two artists: Elke Krystufek's installation The Tunnel, which shows the artist masturbating, and drawings by Ugo Rondinone.

Results of Incident: Krystufek, questioned by the Viennese police, said that the installation in question was destroyed and thus could not be provided as evidence. "I attempted to demonstrate (to the judge) the legitimacy of all these artists," Moisdon told Artforum.com, adding that Rondinone is currently completing a commission for a Venetian church. For Moisdon, the complaint reflects the "dysfunctionality" of French law, in particular the 1993 Jolibois amendment, which makes no distinction between a real act of violence and its representation. Despite the lack of evidence, Le Monde's Nathaniel Herzberg reports that not everything will be easy for Bernadac and Moisdon. The mayor of Bordeaux refuses to assume the cocurators' legal fees, or those of Cousseau. Moreover, the group could still face a hefty fine and up to three years in prison.

Description of Incident: Adult nudity was one thing, but child nudity was "a more sensitive issue", said the gallery's assistant director, Rodney Cones-Browne. Police visited Gosford Regional Art Gallery after complaints about three of the 58 photographs in the Australian Centre for Photography exhibition, "Changeling: Childhood and the Uncanny".

Results of Incident: Gosford City Council will close the controversial art exhibition a week early after police called photographs of a naked seven-year-old girl disturbing and complainants said the images were "child abuse and not art".

Description of Incident: A clerical worker at Valencia, shocked by the male nudity and the references to Christianity, charged that Paul’s work was blasphemous and anti-Christian. The clerical worker contacted local ministers including George Crossley and John Butler Book who then contacted the Christian Coalition. The Christian Coalition sent out a mass-mailing to supporters about the exhibit. The organization also took photographs of part of the exhibit, prominently featuring the male nudes, and sent them to state legislators and Governor Lawton Chiles. Many of the politicians who saw the photos, including Chiles, were aghast. Despite never seeing Paul’s exhibit, Chiles took action against it; he wrote to Secretary of State Jim Smith asking him to “ensure that future exhibits of this nature will not be paid for by the taxpayers”.

Results of Incident: The Christian Coalition convinced U.S. citizens and political figures that Paul’s art is pornographic, homoerotic and anti-Christian, and as such should not be sponsored by U.S. taxpayers. As a result, it has become more and more difficult for controversial artists to be awarded grants.

Description of Incident: Revelle’s mural was to be featured in “Contained/Controlled,” an art show about censorship at Manatee Community College in Bradenton, Fla. However, officials at the college were concerned with Revelle’s mural, especially the 4-foot portion of the mural featuring erect penises. The college asked Revelle to remove the part of the mural with the images of the erect genitalia for the piece before the work was to appear in the exhibit on campus.

Results of Incident: After asking for the 4-foot portion of Revelle’s mural to be removed, officials at Manatee community College canceled the censorship exhibit “Contained/Controlled” entirely. College president Sarah Pappas told the First Amendment Center the complete exhibit “was not what we expected”. Officials said they determined it best to cancel the whole show rather than refuse to display one part of it.

Description of Incident: A group of predominantly local artists in Pennsylvania Dutch country organized a group exhibit titled “Sex is Art” and rented the Old Anville Fire Hall in Anville, Pa. (near Lebanon Valley College) for the weekend of September 4-5, 1997. This was the third consecutive year these artists had come together to display their work although they had not previously used the Fire Hall. On Wednesday, August 27, 1997, Scott Church, the organizer of the exhibition, was contacted by the Anville Fire Co., which manages the Fire Hall, and told that they were considering canceling the exhibit and inviting him and the other organizers to a meeting on August 28 to discuss the situation. It seems that a post for the exhibition reached Al Yingst, the Chairman of the Township Board of Commissioners, who believed that the exhibition would violate community standards of decency and perhaps involve live sex acts (which it would not). The post in question did not picture any of the art to be exhibited. Yingst called the fire company and objected to the exhibit. On August 28 the fire company and artists met to discuss the exhibit; in the meeting, the fire company agreed to honor the rental contract and both sides agreed that the fire company could post a disclaimer at the entrance stating that they did not endorse or sponsor the exhibition, and that the exhibit organizers would post a warning that material inside could be offensive, ensure that no works were visible from the outside and deny admission to those under 18 not accompanied by a parent.

Results of Incident: Despite the revised conditions Commissioner Yingst threatened to invoke the town's legal authority to stop the show. Yingst's continuing political pressure led the firefighters to limit the exhibition to one and a half hours a day, rather than the whole weekend as specified in the contract. The show was canceled as a result. In March of 1998, nearly a year after “Sex is Art” was shut down by Anville, Pa. officials, the New Lebanon Valley College in Pa. opened a week-long exhibit of banned artworks including many pieces from the censored “Sex is Art” exhibition.

Description of Incident: In 1998, Jenny Root entered her sculpture, titled “Mother/Father”, into the Auburn university-wide juried art exhibition (with prize money awarded for winning work) to be exhibited at Foy Gallery in the Student Union building. Initially accepted into the exhibit by the art department faculty based on its artistic merit, Root went about installing her sculpture in Foy Union Gallery. However, soon after the sculpture was installed, the question of whether it was suitable for display in the large and public gallery was raised by administrators outside the art department. On April 14, 1998 Root was informed that her work was being censored because it was considered “inappropriate” for exhibition in Foy Union Gallery. The director of exhibitions, Barry Fleming and Dean Nancy Hartsfield, told Root that Auburn University lawyers had reviewed the work and did not want Root’s piece to be displayed in the show. Root was told that she must remove her sculpture immediately, and that perhaps it could be exhibited in the art building – a less “public” space.

Results of Incident: After protest by Root and other art students, “Mother/Father” was installed in Biggin Gallery – a less public and less favorable place - which many believe was done to cover any claim of censoring her work. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the National Campaign for Freedom of Expression, the College Art Association, and the National Coalition Against Censorship were all informed of the censorship of Root’s sculpture. The various organizations joined together writing letters to various administrators at Auburn University protesting the censorship of Root’s sculpture.

Description of Incident: Even though it was not anatomically graphic, the image of Jesus naked on the cross left several construction workers working at the terminal disturbed. One of the workers called the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, the national group that has twice protested images it considered insulting at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. William Donohue, president of the Catholic League, called airport officials to complain about the sculpture, then several of the construction workers were asked for their opinion on the issue and the muralist was consulted.

Results of Incident: Within hours of Donohue’s initial complaint to airport officials, the issue was resolved. With a few extra dabs of paint, the artist responsible, Deborah Masters, added a loincloth to the sculpture. Picture above: the revised mural in which a loincloth was painted onto the statue of Jesus. Masters also made a statement claiming that she had meant to clothe the Christ figure all along, but had simply forgotten.

Description of Incident: After the movie was released in 2004, both van Gogh and Hirsi Ali received death threats. Van Gogh did not take these very seriously and refused any protection - reportedly telling Hirsi Ali: "Who would want to kill the town idiot?" Sadly, on November 2, 2004 the Dutch film maker was assassinated in Amsterdam by a Moroccan Islamist because of his film Submission, which portrays the submissiveness of Muslim women. The murderer, Mohammed Bouyeri, a 26-year-old Dutch citizen and the son of a Muslim Moroccan immigrant, shot van Gogh eight times and then proceed to slit his throat and stab him in the chest - van Gogh is pictured above lying on the street after being murder. Bouyeri also left a letter with a list of additional individuals to be killed, including Theo’s scriptwriter Hirsi Ali, a Somali-born Dutch MP who later fled to the U.S. Bouyeri's letter ends with the following lines: ‘I am certain, O America, that you will die/I am certain, O Europe, that you will die/I am certain, O Netherlands, that you will die/I am certain, O Hirsi Ali, that you will die/I am certain, O infidel fundamentalist, that you will die.’

Results of Incident: The killer, Mohammed Bouyeri, was apprehended by the police after being shot in the leg. Although born in Amsterdam, well-educated and apparently well-integrated, Bouyeri has alleged terrorist ties with the Dutch Hofstad Network. He was also charged with attempted murder of a police officer and bystander, illegal possession of a firearm, and conspiring to assassinate others, including Hirsi Ali. He was convicted on July 26, 2005 and sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole. The murder led to a wider and more polarized debate about the position of the more than one million Muslims in the Netherlands and how they would be affected. There are non-Muslim Dutch citizens that fear that Holland will lose its traditional tolerance and Western liberalism, becoming increasingly influenced by Islamic viewpoints on these issues. These fears are fueled by population growth studies and projections that show the Muslim community growing much faster than that of the "autochtonen" (autochthonous Dutch). On the other hand, many Islamic Dutch residents feel discriminated against and singled out. The increasing polarization has led to calls from many religious leaders and politicians for calm and improved communication between the communities. In an apparent reaction against controversial statements about the Islamic, Christian and Jewish religions, such as those Theo van Gogh was renowned for, the Dutch Minister of Justice, Christian Democrat Piet Hein Donner suggested the existing Dutch blasphemy laws should either be applied more stringently or made stricter. This had led to a counter call by the liberal D66 party to scrap the blasphemy law altogether.

Description of Incident: Manal Manea’s anti-Islam beliefs came under scrutiny by the Egyptian government and courts who accused the female preacher of atheism and blasphemy against Islam.

Results of Incident: In 2001, Manal Manea was sentenced to three years in prison for promoting atheism and blasphemy against Islam. Manea was not the only anti-Islamist censored in Egypt for his/her beliefs, the writer Salaheddin Mohsen was also sentenced to three years in prison for writings that were deemed offensive to Islam and promoted atheism in 2001.

Description of Incident: Salaheddin Mohsen’s anti-Islam texts came under scrutiny by the Egyptian government and courts who accused the writer of atheism and blasphemy against Islam.

Results of Incident: An Egyptian state security court sentenced Salaheddin Mohsen, a writer accused of blasphemy, to three years in prison with hard labor for writings deemed offensive to Islam. The court also ordered that all of Mohsen's books and publications be confiscated for containing what it described as "extremist" ideas. Mohsen was not the only person censored in Egypt for anti-Islam beliefs, the female preacher Manal Manea was also sentenced to three years in prison for atheism and blasphemy in 2001.

Description of Incident: In 2000, Egypt’s Ministry of Culture reissued Haydar’s novel “A Banquet for Seaweed” as part of a modern Arab classics series that it was sponsoring. In a distorting review of the Egyptian edition of Haydar’s novel, “al-Shaab”, a publication of Egypt’s Socialist Labor Party, the columnist Muhammad Abbass called the book an insult to Islam, resulting in one of the biggest riots Egypt had seen in the prior ten years. The police were called out to calm the protestors, which they did with tear gas, baton charges and rubber bullets.

Results of Incident: Legal action was taken against the government officials responsible for publishing the novel and there were calls for the assassination—or execution by beheading—of the novelist. In addition, the rector of Al-Azhar University called for a public burning of the book in a public place. The primary reason for this uproar is that Abbas left out an ellipsis in a passage he quoted from the novel. This omission resulted in the words Koran and shit being placed next to each other, and since it is unnecessary to use the verb “to be” in Arabic—they say, in other words, the sky blue rather than the sky is blue—Abbas’ omission made it look like the author was calling the Koran a piece of shit.

Description of Incident: Shuaib, a teacher of philosophy at Kuwait University, maintains that the only part of her book “Spiders Lament a Wound” that mentions God is the phrase "God's secret map." However, Kuwait Islamists objected to the text citing moral and religious offences.

Results of Incident: Shuaib was found guilty of "publishing opinions that ridicule religion" and blasphemy and was sentenced to one month in prison and several fines. Yehya al-Rubaian, the book's publisher, was also given a suspended two-month sentence and was fined the equivalent of $328 for publishing the book without prior government approval. The writer and publisher have appealed the ruling.