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Toronto Comic Arts Festival Co-Founder Christopher Butcher Resigns
posted on by Rafael Antonio Pineda
The Toronto Comics Arts Festival event's Artistic Director Christopher Butcher announced on Wednesday that he has resigned from his position in order to address health issues, and so that other staff members can move up to other positions. He also acknowledged criticisms of him and TCAF regarding recognition and inclusion of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ people, saying that it is "necessary to address imbalances in the organization." Butcher apologized for his role in "devaluing the contributions of members of staff and volunteers," and added that he is stepping back to take the time to "be better."
Butcher is a co-founder of TCAF alongside Peter Birkemoe. The comic book festival had its inaugural event in 2003. This year's event scheduled for May 9-10 was canceled due to the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
In 2017, Viz Media named Butcher as consulting editor-at-large.