Hello friends.

It came to light yesterday that Chris Lansdell, former Level Three Judge from Canada and founder of Mental Note, was disciplined by the Judge Conduct Committee and removed from the Judge Program. This was addressed directly by Chris on his Facebook page yesterday. That post has since been removed.

Through his actions, despite us not knowing the specifics, Chris violated the trust of the Magic community. That much is clear. However, we believe that Mental Note’s purpose is too vital to let it vanish. Despite the fact that we condemn Chris’s actions, he had a noble vision when he founded this blog – to help those struggling with mental illness and to find a safe space to know that they are not alone. It is not lost on us in any way that, despite this goal, Chris’s actions clearly violated the safe spaces of others, and we do not support him in those choices.

Mental Note will continue under our lead. We remain dedicated to spreading awareness of mental health issues and to the continued, shared support of the Judge Program. We also encourage anyone who would like a safe space in which to discuss these issues to contact either of us though JudgeApps, on Facebook, or at mentalnotejudge@gmail.com, in addition to your own support networks.

The issue of misogyny and harassment has reared its ugly head in a very visible way in the past few weeks in the Magic community. There is a lot of work to be done, and it is our place to make the community better. We will continue to strive to do so. Magic should be a space where everyone feels welcome and included, and we will not stop working until it truly is. For an official statement from the Judge Program, made last week, please click here. 

Tomorrow, we will be publishing an article written by Pro Tour Champion Gerry Thompson on his battles with depression. We thank Gerry for sharing his story with us, and with all of you.