Why Gays Should Embrace the Inability to Reproduce
By Andy Heath
My mom once asked me why I wanted to sleep over at friends' houses. She just couldn't understand. "But MOM," I said. "Everyone is doing it!" And then she responded, "Well, if everyone jumped off a bridge, would you?" Good point Mom.
Now, I hardly think it's unreasonable for kids to sleep over at each other's houses, but that's not the point. The point is that just because everyone else is doing something does not mean that there is anything wrong with not doing whatever it is. For example, straight people are notorious for having sex and reproducing. They put out more people, and that is largely their function from a biological standpoint.
And sometimes they can even be mean about it. They write letters to their legislators asking them to stop gay people from being able to adopt. "Imagine what would happen," they say, "if gay people are able to raise children. Why, those children won't turn out like US," they argue and fear.
And it's true… children that grow up in gay households are more than likely not going to be racist or sexist or homophobic because they will see with their own eyes the ugly side of hatred and discrimination. Gay people now see the discrimination and hatred happening to themselves, but if children grow up in gay households, those children will see it happen to their loved ones. Being children and not yet understanding the point of homophobia (I have yet to understand it myself) they will ask WHY?
But I digress.
I know I have tried to hit this point home many times, but the fact that gays cannot procreate is an extraordinary advantage to us. It gives us additional TIME and MONEY to use for other things. Certainly children are important, and by all means adopt them if you want. But the point is that if we have additional time and money to utilize for the betterment of humanity, why not do so. This is an advantage and something we can celebrate rather than lament.
Ask any straight couple if they regret having children, and most of them will say no. In fact, they will probably say having children was one of the greatest things that they could have done. But them ask them why they have not done all the projects they say they want to do. For example, ask them why they have not volunteered somewhere. Ask them why they have not redecorated the house. Ask them why they have not written that book, joined that club, coached that little league baseball team, etc. And they will almost always say, "I don't have time!"
Then ask why they don't give more money to charity. Ask why they have not taken that Alaskan cruise they've talked about for years. Ask why they haven't made a donation to any good causes lately. They will then ask you, "Do you think money grows on trees?"
If we really look at most straight couples, the fact is that many of them have too much money before they have children and then not enough after they have children. Again, having children can be a wonderful thing, but not having them can be just as rewarding. We do not have to lament the inability to produce, but rather celebrate it. They are two sides of the same coin. While straight people's legacy is their children, gays' legacy is our contribution. Let's make a contribution to the world and celebrate not having children.
