Sanderson Faces LGBT Backlash
Brandon Sanderson is facing potential backlash over past comments on LGBT issues from 2007 as his Apple TV adaptations approach mainstream release. Fans predict he'll be "carpeted and canceled" but vow to defend the Mormon author. The controversy emerges as his Cosmere universe gains broader entertainment industry attention beyond his established fantasy readership.
- The controversy stems from a 2007 blog post where Sanderson, while identifying as more liberal than his peers in the LDS Church, stated he would vote against gay marriage, believing he was acting in the best interest of gay people to prevent future "pain and suffering". - By 2011, his views had evolved; he updated the post to advocate for universal civil unions for all couples, separating the legal rights of a union from the religious ceremony of marriage. - In a January 2023 website update, Sanderson stated his "unequivocable support for LGBTQ+ rights," including gay marriage and trans rights, and marked the post with sizable donations to the Utah Pride Center and The OUT Foundation. - A continuing source of criticism is Sanderson's practice of tithing to the LDS Church, which critics argue indirectly supports an institution with discriminatory policies. His company, Dragonsteel LLC, clarified that the business itself does not tithe to the church. - Sanderson has also been a creative writing instructor at Brigham Young University, an institution sponsored by the LDS Church that has historically had policies restricting displays of "homosexual behavior". - He has intentionally included LGBTQ+ characters in his work, including in *The Way of Kings* and *The Alloy of Law*, stating a desire to have the people in his stories reflect the world around him. - Sanderson has expressed his intent to foster change from within the LDS Church, pointing to the church's recent support for the U.S. Respect for Marriage Act and its opposition to conversion therapy as positive developments.
