Editing Havelock Ellis (section)

==Eugenics==
{{Eugenics sidebar}}
Ellis was a supporter of [[eugenics]]. He served as vice-president to the [[Galton Institute|Eugenics Education Society]] and wrote on the subject, among others, in ''The Task of Social Hygiene'':

{{blockquote|Eventually, it seems evident, a general system, whether private or public, whereby all personal facts, biological and mental, normal and morbid, are duly and systematically registered, must become inevitable if we are to have a real guide as to those persons who are most fit, or most unfit to carry on the race.}}

{{blockquote|The superficially sympathetic man flings a coin to the beggar; the more deeply sympathetic man builds an almshouse for him so he need no longer beg; but perhaps the most radically sympathetic of all is the man who arranges that the beggar shall not be born.}}

In his early writings, it was clear that Ellis concurred with the notion that there was a system of racial hierarchies, and that non-western cultures were considered to be "lower races".{{sfn|Crozier|2008|p=}} Before explicitly talking about eugenic topics, he used the prevalence of homosexuality in these 'lower races' to indicate the universality of the behavior. In his work, ''Sexual Inversions'', where Ellis presented numerous cases of homosexuality in Britain, he was always careful to mention the race of the subject and the health of the person's 'stock', which included their neuropathic conditions and the health of their parents. However, Ellis was clear to assert that he did not feel that homosexuality was an issue that eugenics needed to actively deal with, as he felt that once the practice was accepted in society, those with homosexual tendencies would comfortably choose not to marry, and thus would cease to pass the 'homosexual heredity' along.{{sfn|Crozier|2008|p=}}

In a debate in the [[Sociological Society]], Ellis corresponded with the eugenicist [[Francis Galton]], who was presenting a paper in support of marriage restrictions. While Galton analogized eugenics to breeding domesticated animals, Ellis felt that a greater sense of caution was needed before applying the eugenic regulations to populations, as "we have scarcely yet realized how subtle and far-reaching hereditary influences are."{{sfn|Crozier|2008|p=}} Instead, because unlike domesticated animals, humans were in charge of who they mated with, Ellis argued that a greater emphasis was needed on public education about how vital this issue was. Ellis thus held much more moderate views than many contemporary eugenicists. In fact, Ellis also fundamentally disagreed with Galton's leading ideas that procreation restrictions were the same as marriage restrictions.{{sfn|Ellis|1917|p=35}} Ellis believed that those who should not procreate should still be able to gain all the other benefits of marriage, and to not allow that was an intolerable burden. This, in his mind, was what led to eugenics being "misunderstood, ridiculed, and regarded as a fad".{{sfn|Ellis|1917|p=35}}

Throughout his life, Ellis was both a member and later a council member of the [[Adelphi Genetics Forum|Eugenics Society]]. Moreover, he played a role on the General Committee of the First International Eugenics Congress.{{sfn|Crozier|2008|p=}}