Hate the Artist, Love the Art...

All of this could easily be mischaracterized as a defense of Card, his art, and his politics. It’s nothing of the sort. I find the tone of Card’s essays smug and off-putting, and I vehemently disagree with nearly all of his opinions. His stance on homosexuality—its causes, its social consequences, even its proper status in the Mormon Church—would be laughable if it weren’t insulting and destructive. Nevertheless, I respect and admire Ender’s Game, and I try to judge Card’s books (and his arguments) on the basis of their relative merits. That’s because I believe in a principle—one that distinguishes between an artist’s art and his character, and resists reducing human beings to a political position or a religious faith. It is a difficult principle to embrace: demanding of empathy, suspicious of oversimplification, and inhospitable to righteous anger. But the effort is worth it.

As Frank noted a few years ago, Card himself wouldn't necessarily agree.