<p> I tend toward the dystopic (writing about climate change will do that to you), but tried to envision a world in which my dark fears about the future had been replaced by hope. But I knew that for my character's sake, such a world could not exist until <em>after</em> humanity had worked out the issues that continue to condemn so many to perilous daily lives. From where we live now, on the cusp of 2014 – we’ve certainly got our work cut out for us.</p><p> I knew that if I were to create some kind of perfect, or at least better world, some basic rules needed to change. Women, people of color, the trans-gendered, bi and gay, the poor – millions continue to live in an emotional and legal netherworld. When the bodies we come wrapped in are dangerous just because their skin or genitals or DNA doesn’t conform to a privileged cultural norm, humans cannot evolve, even with technology’s exponential expansion. </p><p> One of the alarming possible futures that sci-fi writers obsess about, with good reason, is overpopulation. In my utopia, safe, healthy birth control is free and accessible to everyone 12 and over – and all reproductive choice is a given, not a political or religious football. We don't often discuss the fact that compulsory motherhood dominates most women's lives during their reproductive years. While I was working on the story, “leaning in” was the media’s obsession of the moment. But “having it all” isn’t the same thing for every woman – the childfree by choice need to occupy a seat at the table.</p><p> Before I sat down to write, I asked myself these questions: What if we were never shamed for seeking pleasure? What if freely and consciously choosing partners was a given for everyone of every background? What if we could choose when (or even if) we were meant to have children? What if most sexual hang-ups were merely fossils of a bygone era?</p><p> I believe sexuality has been exploited so efficiently precisely because it can be so liberatory; the Church knows exactly what it's doing. Let people experience intimacy and pleasure without shame, and there is no freedom they will be afraid to seek. And in a world in which healthy, conscious sexuality is a given, all babies will be born out of, and into – love.</p><p> This is the world in which <em>Five Trillion</em>, my story about giving birth in 2114, takes place. And I can’t wait for us to get there.</p><p> <em>To receive GOOD</em><em>’s Human Possibility Issue, subscribe at </em><em><a href="http://www.goodmagazine.com">www.goodmagazine.com</a> </em><em>today.</em></p>
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