# Gays and Birth Control

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gays-and-birth-control/24979>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [July 8, 2000, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gays-and-birth-control/24979 "2000-07-08T23:06:23Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![capacitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@capacitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capacitor)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2000, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gays-and-birth-control/24979/1 "2000-07-08T23:06:23Z")

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I read in another [post](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=30070) that the Chinese government is cracking down on gays. This is the same government that is vigorously enforcing the one-child law. Why are they doing this? I mean, isn’t having more gay people great for birth control purposes? I will make this post more provocative: in the days of population growth concerns, shouldn’t being gay be deemed a virtue, as opposed to those irresponsible people having babies in six states or three provinces and not taking care of any one?

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**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2000, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gays-and-birth-control/24979/2 "2000-07-08T23:26:48Z")

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But life is contradictory. Having more gay people would reduce population (though many gays do procreate, they do so less than straights) at the same time governments want control over anything that is considered different than than the norm. Gays may be seen as potential trouble makers.  
Then again, do you really expect the Chinese governemnt to justify anything they do? That is a very evil system they have there. I wouldn’t want to be gay or straight in China!!

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**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\
**Post date:** [July 9, 2000, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gays-and-birth-control/24979/3 "2000-07-09T03:51:45Z")

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The Chinese anti-gay crackdown discussed in the BBQ Pit thread only seemed to be directed against gay **men** , not lesbians.

Sadly, this isn’t too surprising. Gay men are felt as a threat to the sexuality of all-too-many insecure straight men. The gay arrests probably even had popular support.