120 - With Author Michael Rupp - It Gets Better

We were privileged to have former LDS Church member, author of Woven, and new member of the atheist community, Michael Rupp, in-studio with us for an interview. 

 

You might remember that Michael had a hard time getting his book published because the initial publisher he signed with refused to put Michael's chosen bio on the book. The bio tipped readers off to the fact that Michael is a gay man by including a line about living in Salt Lake City with his then partner, now husband, and their four dogs. The publisher "wondered what effect [Michael's bio] would have" on their LDS readers. Michael wasn't about to be forced back into the closet, so he stood firm and nearly lost the book deal entirely - until, that is, his partner put the publisher on blast by creating a press release that went viral.

 

We ride an emotional roller coaster with Michael to cover everything from his upbringing in a very devout LDS family, the mission he served as a member of the LDS Church, his time spent studying at Brigham Young University, coming out as gay to his family, writing his novel, and the abuse he suffered when he tried to get his book published.

 

You can meet Michael during this year's Salt Lake City Comic Con, where he and his co-author will be signing copies of their book!

 

Closing Song, as chosen by Michael: Barbra Streisand - Don't Rain On My Parade 

 Show Links:

• Internation Business Times: Publisher Cancels Novel Because Author Is Gay
• Boing Boing: "God gave you a penis for a reason" – publisher cancels gay author's novel
• Huffington Post / Fox 13 News: Michael Jensen, Gay Author Of ‘Woven,’ Claims He Lost Book Deal Because Of His Sexuality
• Patheos - The Friendly Atheist: After Publisher Blocks Book’s Release Over Mention of Author’s Same-Sex Boyfriend in Bio, There’s a Happy Ending
• Facebook: Michael Rupp's Fan Page
• Website for Woven book

 

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