“Ender’s Game” author Orson Scott Card is addressing the recent controversy over his anti-gay marriage stance by terming the issue “moot.”
The science-fiction scribe came under fire earlier this week after the LGBT fan organization Geeks OUT announced a boycott of Summit’s forthcoming adaptation of the bestselling 1985 novel, citing Card’s publicly-stated opposition to same-sex marriage. Among other instances, the practicing Mormon penned a 2009 op-ed for the Mormon Times in which he argued, “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 sits on the board of directors for the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), which formed specifically to pass Proposition 8 in California in 2007. The proposition proved successful with California voters in the 2008 election but was struck down in a Supreme Court decision late last month.
Following is the text of Card’s full statement (via EW):
Ender”s Game is set more than a century in the future and has nothing to do with political issues that did not exist when the book was written in 1984.
With the recent Supreme Court ruling, the gay marriage issue becomes moot. The Full Faith and Credit clause of the Constitution will, sooner or later, give legal force in every state to any marriage contract recognized by any other state.
Now it will be interesting to see whether the victorious proponents of gay marriage will show tolerance toward those who disagreed with them when the issue was still in dispute.
Orson Scott Card
The official website for Geeks OUT’s “Skip Ender’s Game” campaign urges fans to boycott the upcoming film (which stars Harrison Ford and Asa Butterfield) and all related merchandise, stating: “By pledging to Skip Ender”s Game, we can send a clear and serious message to Card and those that do business with his brand of anti-gay activism – whatever he”s selling, we”re not buying. The queer geek community will not subsidize his fear-mongering and religious bullying. We will not pay him to demean, insult, and oppress us.”
For more on the campaign, you can head to the official “Skip Ender’s Game” website here.
“Ender’s Game” is slated for release on November 1, 2013. Summit is hosting a panel discussion for the film at next week’s San Diego Comic-Con.