"Ender's Game" author Orson Scott Card is calling criticism in response to his anti-gay views "savage, lying deceptive personal attacks."
In an interview with Deseret News, he opened up about the backlash -- which includes a proposed boycott of the "Ender's Game" movie -- he has faced over his homophobic ideas.
“I’ve had no criticism. I’ve had savage, lying, deceptive personal attacks, but no actual criticism because they’ve never addressed any of my actual ideas,” Card told the Utah publication. “Character assassination seems to be the only political method that is in use today, and I don’t play that game, and you can’t defend against it. All you can do is try to offer ideas, and for those who want to listen to ideas, great. For those who simply want to punish you for not falling in line with their dogmas, there’s really not much you can do about it.”
“[The criticism] won’t affect my work,” the 62-year-old added. “Will it affect the reception of my work? Of course, but not in ways that they expect. My sales go up with such attacks.”
Others, however, beg to differ.
TheWrap reported Card won't get any money from "Ender's Game" movie ticket sales. His fee was already paid because he inked the deal a decade ago, and it included no backend. Although he has a producing credit in the film, he did not have any creative say, according to the outlet.
He does still profit from sales of the book.
Card's anti-gay views date back to 1990, when he said that sodomy laws should be upheld in states to punish "unruly" gays, Salon noted. Since then, he has been outspoken against same-sex marriage, which he has said “marks the end of democracy in America." To him, homosexuality is a "tragic genetic mixup."
In an interview with Wired this month, he was far less forceful about the climate surrounding his film. When asked about the backlash, Card said people are "not getting a true picture of me from these comments, and they’re certainly not getting anything to do with 'Ender’s Game.'"
(h/t Back2Stonewall.com)