I’ve read everything I could find with his name on it and joined Hattrack River before I discovered his homophobia. I fear it is self-loathing and it breaks my heart.

I generally prefer to separate an 'artist' and their personal life from my opinion of their work, but he is just so openly hateful and actively involved in organizations that seek to vilify homosexuality and prohibit gay marriage that I haven't read a book by him since hearing this surprising news after reading Ender's Game! (I consider it surprising news because IMO science fiction/fantasy nerds tend to be extremely open minded and accepting of all people.) I also won't eat at Chick fil' A, as an aside...

I'm sure we can all name plenty of respected artists throughout history who had views we're disappointed in -- slave owners, anti-suffragists, supporters of eugenics, drinking tea with Hitler, whatever... but this is 2018 and OSC is an asshole who spends too much time being bothered by the sex lives of gay men.

“Regardless of law, marriage has only one definition, and any government that attempts to change it is my mortal enemy. I will act to destroy that government and bring it down.” -Orson Scott Card

Well, I saw Ender's Game, and listened to the audio version of Earth Unaware, and I liked them. Otherwise I was not aware of any issues with O. S. Card. So I just looked him up. I was a bit surprised he is a Mormon, but once you learn that he is just like any other person who believes in a religion created by a conman.

Was a fan when he first came out. Besides his "Ender" series he had the "Alvin Maker" series, which I enjoyed. I guess its always tough to enjoy someone's work, literary, musically, artistically, etc., & then find out they are less than one thought/hoped, but that's humans for ya'! I guess the baby/bathwater analogy comes into play here.

what did you wish you knew about him?

Yes, definitely. Ender's Game is one of my favorite books of all time. The empathy in it...

Yes. I also struggle with reconciling my loving the art works of terrible people.

If a book, song, poem or whatever speaks to you, does it really make any difference who wrote it? I would avoid giving them any more of my money if they were a complete jackass, but even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes!

I loved Enders Game when I read it (before I knew anything about Card). I admit that when I find out out an artist is a personality distasteful person I have a harder time appreciating their work. Example: Tom Cruise is a good actor, but when I see one of his films I can’t help thinking about Scientology and it diminishes my enjoyment of his work.

same, Enders Shadow was my fave but read them all, then like you say, discovered he is a real prick.

I read his seventh son of a seventh son series when I was in my early 20s was a good read.

I wasn't sure who he is so I just looked him up. I don't think I've read any of his books, but that's beside the point. I'm a proponent of keeping the artist and his or her art separate. As soon as I start drawing lines in the sand about an artist's politics or other views, and let that cloud my appreciation of the works of art, it becomes a subjective limit on what I can and cannot appreciate. Nobody is perfect and I won't agree with anyone 100% of the time, so I prefer to keep my options open for appreciating art while also reserving the right to call out the artist's objectionable views.

I never really liked him it seemed to me that his books had religious under tones.