(Orson Scott Card/ CC-BY-NC-SA by Alex Erde)
Let’s be clear from the outset. Every ticket sold for the movie Ender’s Game enhances the wealth and status of a celebrity who has used his power to promote homophobia. Orson Scott Card has been an enormously successful science fiction and fantasy author and has used his wealth and fame to denigrate and oppose the LGBT community at every turn. Every outlet that promotes the film without acknowledging Card’s opinions and influence is colluding with his hateful efforts.
I write this article with a great sadness and heaviness upon my heart, given the first major promotional piece I saw for the film. I was watching the Graham Norton Show as Harrison Ford was promoting the movie. Shame on Graham Norton for even giving airtime to the nefarious Card and sustaining a heterosexist culture. How ironic that precious minutes of his show were so exceedingly harmful to the LGBT community, including Norton himself.
As we were watching Ford promote the movie, my husband wondered if perhaps Harrison Ford, Viola Davis, and Ben Kingsley (all three of whom I love and respect) were unaware of the harm done by Card’s aggressive homophobia. Their ignorance of Card’s harm is quite possible, but this in and of itself speaks to a great amount of privilege that comes with obliviousness.
Sadly, Ford acknowledges the atrociousness of Card’s anti-gay efforts, but rationalizes and justifies Ender’s Game by saying, “the movie is not homophobic.” I have considered Ford and the others to be allies of the LGBT community. Sadly, even our allies have the luxury of retreating to the safety of the dominant culture and thus contribute to the oppression of LGBT folk around the world.
(Cast of Ender's Game/ Credit: Creative Commons)
Orson Scott Card has referred to LGBT folk as “mentally ill,”and in his now famous essay from 1990 advocates making/keeping homosexuality illegal. In 2008, Card actively joined the Prop. 8 movement and called same-sex marriage a “mortal enemy” that he would seek to destroy. Of course, he also pulls out the pedophilia notion and tries to claim that homosexuals are all pedophiles. He was a board member of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) until just recently and apparently resigned to minimize controversy before the film opened.
Lionsgate, the studio releasing the film, is pushing the “not a homophobic story” meme, hoping that the success of the novel will overwhelm the nastiness of its author. Card is suspiciously quiet, avoiding a screenwriting credit and avoiding the convention panels that an author would typically attend to promote a film. Even the details of his compensation are less public than usual. All of this smacks of an effort to quell controversy, so as to allow for greater income – income that will be used to hurt LGBT people.
Even if Card does not make another dime from the film itself, he has already profited from selling the rights. His books will sell because of the movie. He certainly will profit from the toys, games, and other merchandise. The more successful the movie, the more he is rewarded. For anyone who believes in fair and just treatment of the LGBT community, this is unacceptable.
Artists and their creations are separate things, and it is sometimes possible to appreciate a song or story or painting regardless of its creator’s personality. Sometimes however, the person overwhelms the work. Card’s steadfast efforts to destroy the lives of LGBT people around the world is such an example.
CALL TO ACTION: Boycott this film. Encourage others to do the same. Show the studios and moguls that promoting the work of a public figure who has used his power to slander and dehumanize the gay community is not profitable.
First of all, Homophobic is not a word or an affliction. It was coined by the queer community to make excuses for their perverted behavior! Along with a new moniker “Gay”, And now they are trying to force the public to condone their pedofilic behavior, Raping children is normal ? and accepted behavior?? What is normal is an instinctual aversion to disgusting behavior in public and in front of children! In private and between CONSENTING ADULTS……Whatever! What these people really want is SPECIAL PRIVILEGES not equal rights! Continuous propaganda to give these people EVERYTHING THEY WANT is getting out of hand! Now they want to take away the free speech rights of 99% so they aren’t criticized for their abhorrent behavior, THAT would be special privileges for the 1%. They could do ANYTHING they want, anywhere they want (including in schools or churches) and it would be a crime to “Not admire they disgusting things they do”, Get it right! This is NOT about marriage or sexual behavior in private—-it is about silencing criticism and taking away the free speech rights of the majority! They “gays” already have the same rights of free speech and they sure aren’t slow in exercising them! They just want to take away other’s rights! However twisted their logic, that is the result!
Chuck,
I was going to try to deconstruct your rant point by point, but I suspect my words would fall on deaf ears. For the sake of other readers, let me reply to three key things:
1) Homophobia is in fact a word, recognized by a wide variety of dictionaries and print and online resources. It applies startlingly well to your comment.
2) Pedophilia and homosexuality are two very different things. In fact, most cases of pedophilia are perpetrated by heterosexual men. Trying to blend the two is a very sad and damaging scare tactic.
3) Of course Card has the free speech right to say what he has said. Lionsgate has the right to make the film. People justifiably disgusted by the way Card has used his fame and wealth to oppress the basic human rights of others have the free speech and commerce rights to speak out against the film. Let the buyer decide.
Chuck, you seem to be a bit behind the times. Peole have been posting for a while that Card will not make any money formm the movie. he sold the rights to the book for a movie and gets no more. The only effective boycott would be for the book where he does get a royalty, and the book wen tto the bestseller list when the LGBT commmunty was urging a boycott in the wrong place.
Here is my advice, when you organize a boycott actualy know what you are doing. Hopefully you were not one of the planners for the boycott Chuck.
Second, the most effective boycotter was Gandhi, and his tactic was to use a boycott to convert his opponents, not hurt them.
That is IMO one of the reasons he was so successful
Might be a good strategy in the future for future boycotts.
Sorry, I was not responding to Chuck, but Michael. My mistake
Chuck, your comments are so very disturbing on so many levels. I wonder where your fear and hatred of LGBT folk comes from. What would it mean and what would it look like for you to look at human beings in a more generous way that is respectful?
You not only strip others of their dignity but you are also stripping yourself of dignity.
I do wonder what attracts you to Tikkun, where we are trying to collectively build a community that is working to repair the world and honor all humans?
Chuck wants us to hate him so it will justify his bigotry. I would rather celebrate IL becoming the 15th state with marriage equality.
Until now, I had never heard of Orson Scott Card. Why not let one’s work stand on its merits?
The Torah tells us that we should not be gay. Michael, I think you need to study the Torah more, before you post.
Oh, Anne, how your words make my heart ache. It startles me to see them in this forum for peace, togetherness, and repairing the world. Taken with brutal literalness, the Torah recommends slavery, turns a blind eye to adultery, punishes disobedient children with death, and traps us in a mire of antique proscriptions that makes no space for growth and life. Taken as history and literature, it can inspire us to look for greatness and celelbrate our shared humanity. Please read carefully and look for the inspiration that helps us change the world, not chain it.
Obviously, you’re not Jewish.
Anne, really? That is your response? If you want to quote the Torah you need to look at the many respects it violates women’s rights. Please don’t use the Torah to justify homophobia–we can get that from right wing “Christians” in the Tea Party.
When my boys and girls ended up very small, we commenced speaking about secrets. What’s a good mystery and what is a nasty mystery? This appeared being an idea my boys and girls could appreciate, whereas carrying out my purpose of not scaring them.
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