If you haven’t heard by now, they’re making a film adaptation of Orson Scott Card’s sci-fi novel Ender’s Game. For a lot of sci-fi fans, this is what is known as “kind of a big deal.” But there’s something of an asterisk in play here.
As some of you probably remember, Scott Card published a blatantly homophobic piece a couple years back. What you might not know is that this isn’t an isolated thing: Scott Card is actually on the board of directors for the National Organization for Marriage, a group best known for using wedge issues to try to pit the gay community against the black community.
In response, the gay geek group Geeks OUT! is launching a boycott of the Ender’s Game movie.
Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card’s 1985 bestseller, is now a major motion picture from Summit Entertainment, opening Friday, November 1, 2013. Even as the film’s marketing campaign scrambles to distance the film from the author’s controversial reputation, Summit is angling Ender’s Game to be the next big sci-fi blockbuster, potentially making an all-new fortune for NOM-board member Card.
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.
This kind of raises the question as to whether or not a piece of art can live independently of its creator. I’ll be the first to admit that yes, it absolutely can, but you’re forgetting that the artist and the art don’t live independently of capitalism.
Yes, when Ender’s Game is critically acclaimed and a lot of people dig it. Honestly, I never read it, so I’m not going to make claims on the quality. But you can’t ignore the fact that when you pay to see this movie, you’re giving money to someone who is on the board of directors of one of the biggest anti-gay groups in North America.
If you want to see the movie? I won’t stop you. If you don’t want to support Orson Scott Card? Well, I’m in the same boat as you are. No one’s forcing anyone to do anything. We can, however, at least encourage people to think about their actions and their impact a little more.
[Image via gloverposting.com]
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