So, what was Skip Ender’s Game about? Geeks OUT and allies across the country and around the world waged a yearlong campaign to raise awareness of author Orson Scott Card’s poisonous attacks on the LGBT community and keep our queer geek dollars out of his pockets by passing on the film. On its face it was about this man’s activist past and not funding an activist future. Look what he’s said, look what he stands for—does he need your money, too?
For many, it was a tough choice between principles and fandom. Across the media all summer, Skip Ender’s Game became a lightning rod of controversy and interpretation. The media made us part of the larger question of how to responsibly consume pop culture content. Our message went far and wide and thousands of you answered. Simultaneous events across North America (hey, Toronto!) gave geeks in these cities something better to do with their time and money and provided a boost to local LGBT organizations. The friends and connections made that night in San Francisco, Seattle, Austin, Dallas, Chicago, Orlando, and New York are the next generation of our community and of Geeks OUT.
What Geeks OUT appreciates most from Skip Ender’s Game is the wild, ferocious energy of the worldwide community of out, proud queer geeks and allies who heard our message and stood up, got together and did something. We thought we’d struggle to get our point across beyond our local friends. Instead we got pelted with hundreds of messages demanding our Skip Ender’s Game pledge permit signatures from outside the U.S. The conversation was being had and queer geeks were finding each other all over the world. You’re ready to be part of the pop culture conversation. We’re ready to take our place at the table.
Your support was everything. Geeks OUT was honored to carry this banner and speak up for our community and we counted on your strength behind us. We learned so much from this campaign that will carry us forward as an organization and enable us to do more and better. Thank you for backing us up, spreading the word, and skipping the movie. Together we sent the clear message that queer geeks won’t do business with enemies of the LGBT community—even if you get Harrison Ford.
We'd especially like to thanks the myriad of organizations and individuals who supported this project throughout the year-long process. First and foremost are the more than 11,000 individuals who signed our MoveOn.org petition as well as the hundreds of people who participated in our Thunderclap on November 1st. A big round of applause goes to our event ambassadors Danny Bernardo (Chicago), DR Hanson and Daniel Villarreal (Dallas), Brian Pittard, Pat O'Rourke, and the Flame On! crew (Orlando), Jimmy Swear and Bradley Clutts of Fanboy (San Francisco), Eric Starker and Robert Roth (Seattle), Shane Brown of Gay Austin Geeks (Austin), and JP Larocque and the Gay Nerds crew (Toronto), without whom we could not have provided truly fan-driven, pro-LGBT events with which to Skip Ender's Game. Finally, GLAAD's Commentator Accountability Project, organized with the help of Good As You's Jeremy Hooper, discovered a treasure trove of Orson Scott Card's "greatest hits."
Skip Ender’s Game was about all of us and it was a success. It was about our community taking control of its resources and finding its voice. We’re all here to live our geeky, queer lives fully and proudly and to enjoy the dorky stuff we all love. It’s been a phenomenal experience and we’re excited to see what’s next for us all.
