Lesbians, Gay Men & Population.

One of the greatest challenges facing humanity today is that our population is continually increasing. Consequently, we are using-up the world’s resources. In addition, the industrial activity that produces products for an expanding population increases global warming. We will continue to expand our population, consume resources and worsen global warming, until there is a crisis in a particular resource (food, water, energy, land, etc.) Conflicts will ensue over the remaining scarce resource.

Even before that crisis occurs, we will have destroyed the diversity of flora and fauna on the planet. Plants, whose chemical composition could provide advances in medicine, will disappear and we log and encroach upon their habitats. Beautiful, unique animal species will die off. Governments will find excuses to lease national parks to corporations for pillage of scarce resources. We will leave a poor, ravaged environment to our children.

Is there a way to have human beings voluntarily chose not to reproduce? Well, we do have two populations who reproduce much less than the average. They could save us from environmental destruction and the impending ecological crisis: Lesbians and Gay Men.

But how do we expand the lesbian and gay populations in a way that is democratic? Sure, we could isolate the genetic material that produces lesbians and gay men, thereby engineering a larger percentage of humans to have same-sex proclivities. But genetic engineering carries with it some frightening possibilities for abuse. The moral question of choosing an individual’s sexuality for her makes this route impracticable.

This is not, of course, the only obstacle. Prejudice against lesbians and gays, particularly from ignorant and dogmatic religious quarters, continues to exist. The ignorant and dogmatic resist efforts by same sex couples to live in peace without discrimination. Freedom from harassment by the prejudiced is essential both for human rights and for success of any program to make lesbians and gays a larger percentage of the population.

At present, the most logical, democratic route to avert ecological catastrophe is to remove barriers of discrimination from society, thereby encouraging the free expression of lesbian and gay self. In addition, if we provide unhampered access to services for any lesbian or gay man who wishes to have children with her/his genetic heritage, this will expand the percentage of humans whose sexual expression does not lead to reproduction.

A final, perhaps more fanciful suggestion, is to encourage as many gay men as possible to donate to sperm banks. (Come on guys, fifty bucks, free porn and a doughnut.) A larger percentage of gay genetics in the donor pool would do some good. Now all we need is a movement and a lot of plastic cups.

This is the beginning of a discussion. I am open and eager to hear answers that are improvements on my suggestions. I will modify this paper accordingly.