Buzz Harris wrote the letter below. I think that he states the case nicely:
An Open Letter to Boskone 42 Attendees
While I am sure that there will be strong attendance at this year's Boskone, there are not as many people here as there might be. Why? Because of the Guest of Honor. Orson Scott Card, while a gifted and popular SF writer, is also virulently anti-gay - so much sothat he has amassed years of bigoted, publicnonfiction writing that insults and demeans lesbian,gay, bisexual, and transgender people.
He supports police action against us, unless we keep quiet: "Laws against homosexual behavior should remain on thebooks, not to be indiscriminately enforced againstanyone who happens to be caught violating them, but to be used when necessary to send a clear message tothose who flagrantly violate society's regulation ofsexual behavior cannot be permitted to remain asacceptable, equal citizens within that society." (O.S.Card, "The Hypocrites of Homosexuality," 1990).
He wants us to remain in the closet:"The goal of the polity is not to put homosexuals injail. The goal is to discourage people from engagingin homosexual practices in the first place, and whenthey nevertheless proceed in their homosexualbehavior, to encourage them to do so discreetly, so asnot to shake the confidence of the community in thepolity's ability to provide rules for safe, stable,dependable marriage and family relationships." (O.S.Card, "The Hypocrites of Homosexuality," 1990).
What does he really think?:"The dark secret of homosexual society -- the one that dares not speak its name -- is how many homosexuals first entered into that world through a disturbing seduction or rape or molestation or abuse, and how many of them yearn to get out of the homosexual community and live normally." (O.S. Card, "Homosexual'Marriage' & Civilization," 2004).
I thought it only fair to use his own words to back up my assertions. The problem was not in finding anti-gay quotes from him - it was in selecting from dozens of them so as to accommodate a single-page letter. Does he have the right to state his views publicly? Absolutely. Is he a raging bigot? Absolutely. A number of us have chosen not to attend Boskone thisyear to protest his presence. We just wanted you to know why.
Sincerely,
Buzz Harris
Buzz's Online Journal, where this, and other writings can be found, is at www.livejournal.com/users/civic_oracle/
