All Out, an activist group for the LGBT community, has gather over 13,000 signatures asking DC Comics to fire Orson Scott Card, who has written a 2-part story in the new anthology series Adventures of Superman.
The petition reads:
To: DC Comics
By hiring Orson Scott Card despite his anti-gay efforts you are giving him a new platform and supporting his hate. Make sure your brand stands for equality and drop Orson Scott Card now.
They take issue with his membership on the board of National Organization for Marriage (NOM), which believes that marriage should be between a man and a woman.
NOM President Brian Brown told Fox News the petition amounts to intimidation and it’s “un-American.”
Brown said, “We can disagree on core issues – but we can do so in such a way where we don’t try to hurt or intimidate each other.”
Card is also receiving support from those within the industry, not for his views but for his right to have those views.
“Petitioning to have writer Orson Scott Card fired for his social views is as fascistic as politicians condemning a sexual preference,” tweeted comic book writer Mark Millar (Kick-Ass).
Rich Johnston from the comic website Bleeding Cool also refused to join in the witch hunt.
“It’s a very dangerous game,” he wrote. “It has led in the past to witch trials, McCarthyite or otherwise, and it’s no better than the actions of, say, One Million Moms. And next time? It could be you.”
Most importantly, the publisher itself is standing behind Card.
A spokesman for the company said, “As content creators we steadfastly support freedom of expression, however the personal views of individuals associated with DC Comics are just that — personal views — and not those of the company itself.”
They also reiterated that the petition to fire Card is a moot point since he is not a permanent writer for the series.
The digital comic will debut on April 29 and be followed by a print version on May 29.
