Ender’s Game author’s homophobic views could jeopardize upcoming film

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      Famous sci-fi author Orson Scott Card's outspoken and venal rhetoric proves that the game might be over, for him at least. 

      Card is a board member of the right-leaning National Organization for Marriage (NOM) and in 2009 wrote an article for the Mormon Times in which he said that “Marriage has only one definition, and any government that attempts to change it is my mortal enemy. I will act to destroy that government and bring it down."

      Card also recently raised the ire of comic-book fans when DC Comics announced that he would be penning an upcoming Superman story. Equality organization All Out has even started a petition asking DC Comics to drop Card from the project. 

      A spokesperson for the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) told The Hollywood Reporter that "Anti-gay activists like Card can't expect to spread the same hateful and dangerous rhetoric they once did without it negatively impacting how the public views them. As a board member of NOM, one of the most visible anti-gay organizations, Card is not merely a holder of anti-gay views but someone who has used his own fame and resources to actively make life more difficult for hardworking LGBT people and our families. He might still want the buying public to financially support his creative endeavors, but the public is responding with an affirmative ‘no.’ ”

      All of this spells touble for the upcoming film version of Ender's Game, arguably Card's most famous work. The film (due out November 1) will detail a futuristic society in which a gifted young man is sent to a sophisticated military academy in order to prepare for a future alien invasion. 

      But will moviegoers be able to set aside Card's views and appreciate his work on its own merits? Unfortunately, only the reviews and box-office revenue will tell.

      Comments

      3 Comments

      Chuck Anziulewicz

      Feb 20, 2013 at 10:30am

      The first time I ever heard of Orson Scott Card was by way of a short story, "A Thousand Deaths," which was published in the now-defunct Omni magazine. More recently I read and enjoyed the first four of his "Ender Wiggin" novels, and I slogged through all five books in his "Homecoming" sci-fi saga (though becoming somewhat puzzled by the Mormon imagery in the last book).

      It was only LATER that I found out what a strident homophobe Orson Scott Card was. And trust me, I did my research into some of the horribly vitriolic things he has written about Gay people. And now I feel sorry that I spent so much time and money on his books. It's like finding out that an artist whose work you admire is secretly a member of the Ku Klux Klan.

      And this isn't just about Mr. Card expressing his opinion. It's one thing to say you support "traditional marriage." After all, who DOESN'T? I have lots of Straight (i.e. heterosexual) friends, some married and some single, and if any of the singles finds a compatible person of the opposite sex to marry and make a solemn commitment to, no one will be happier than me.

      But it is quite another thing to sit on the board of directors of the National Organization for Marriage, a group that works specifically to deny law-abiding, taxpaying Gay couples the same legal benefits and protections that Straight couples have always taken for granted.

      So NO, I'm not going to throw any more time and money at him. And like millions of other LGBT sci-fi fans and our supporters, I won't be seeing the big-screen adaptation of "Ender's Game."

      RUK

      Feb 20, 2013 at 11:06am

      If it makes you feel any better, the Ender's Game movie has very little to do with the book, according to OSC.

      Of course, I understand that knowledge of an artist's objectionable personal life, in this case antediluvian sexual politics, detracts from the enjoyment of the work. I've been unable to listen to Michael Jackson since he tried to defend cuddle time with boys to Martin Bashir.

      But looking at the bigger picture, so to speak, I think that art has to stand on its own merits. A rancid piece of crap painting doesn't get any better because the painter is terrifically active for all the right causes.

      Ben L

      Feb 20, 2013 at 11:22am

      Books rarely have anything to do with the movie. There are few adaptations that are as good as the book.