Unlike Paul Constant, the author of this piece in the Slog, I have read Ender’s Game (summary judgment on the whole series: interesting in parts, mediocre at best as a whole—all right, Internets, flame me to a crisp). But this is really beside the point: I see no reason why Card’s books should have any bearing on the (de)merits of any particular bit of homophobic sentiment to come spewing out of this odious man’s hatch. (For those not in the know, Orson Scott Card is a sci-fi author, a Mormon, and a really huge homophobe.)
So Orson Scott Card says that gays are simply confused, and that legalized gay marriage, such as now exists in California and Massachusetts, represents “the end of democracy in America.” Never mind, of course, that gay marriage has been legal up here in Canada for years—as well as a whole bunch of other places round the globe—and democracy hasn’t suddenly stopped there. But let’s let the man speak for himself. Here is a link to the original article in the Mormon Times, from which I will quote:
We already know where these decisions lead. We have seen it with the court decisions legalizing abortion. At first, it was only early abortions; within a few years, though, any abortion up to the killing of a viable baby in mid-birth was made legal.
The good old “slippery slope” argument: legalizing gay marriage leads to legalization of polygamy, bestiality, marijuana, hooliganism, murder, and Project Runway. Because in British Columbia, where gay marriage was legal before it became legal in the whole country by fiat, we certainly go out of our way to coddle polygamists.
You know, I can’t even really go any further with this. It’s simply a boring old rehash of the same tired arguments by yet another asshole homophobe. For good filking and commentary, refer to the Slog post noted above. I will, however, pause to note one last thing about Card’s amazingly quixotic defensiveness:
How dangerous is this, politically? Please remember that for the mildest of comments critical of the political agenda of homosexual activists, I have been called a “homophobe” for years.
“The end of democracy in America” is mild???
This is a term that was invented to describe people with a pathological fear of homosexuals — the kind of people who engage in acts of violence against gays. But the term was immediately extended to apply to anyone who opposed the homosexual activist agenda in any way.
A term that has mental-health implications (homophobe) is now routinely applied to anyone who deviates from the politically correct line. How long before opposing gay marriage, or refusing to recognize it, gets you officially classified as “mentally ill”?
Did you notice that really underhanded bit of legerdemain? Card retroactively redefines “homophobe” to have connotations it does not possess under current usage—if, indeed, it ever possessed them at all. Homophobia extends to cover exactly what Card spends paragraphs upon paragraphs on in his screed—it may not be pathological, but it’s fear and hatred all the same. In fandom, what Card has done here is called a retcon, but in this homophobe’s homophobic mind, this isn’t simply sloppy logic; it’s the End Of Life On Earth As We Know It Zomg.
Let me repeat what Paul Constant says: “In conclusion, Orson Scott Card is a hateful homophobe. Please make a note of it, and tell your friends that Orson Scott Card is a hateful homophobe.” Personally, I would further add that he’s a stupid-ass fucker whose books are overrated anyway. Also, a homophobe. And a moron.