Orson Scott Card, who wrote the book
which the film Ender's Game is based on, has admitted that he
has profited off the controversy surrounding his opposition to gay
rights.
Card's anti-gay views and his support
of groups that oppose marriage equality, including the National
Organization for Marriage (NOM), sparked calls for a boycott of the
film.
In an interview with the Deseret
News, Card argued that he has received “no criticism” over
his views.
“I've had savage, lying, deceptive
personal attacks, but no actual criticism because they've never
addressed any of my actual ideas,” Card said in a rare videotaped
interview.
“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.”
“My sales go up with such attacks,”
he added. (The video is embedded on this page. Visit
our video library for more videos.)
Card, a Mormon, has
previously opined that most gays are a result of “a disturbing
seduction or rape or molestation or abuse” and “many of them
yearn to get out of the homosexual community and live normally.”
In a Mormon
Times op-ed, Card wrote that he would “act to destroy that
government” which supports gay marriage.
Ender's Game opened Friday.