Then my roommate got a phone call from her cousin who, apparently, haven't talked in a while. She mentioned that she attended an all girls' school, and her cousin's first reaction was: "Wait, are you a lesbian?"
Let me respond to that one really quickly before I proceed.
1) I am straight as an arrow and love my education here at my university. I didn't magically become a lesbian when I stepped on campus. I didn't suddenly see women and think, "Oh yeah, I'm totally into women now. I'd tap that. I'd tap all of you." Just because I go to an all girls' school does not define my sexuality, nor does it change it. In fact, even if I had identified as a person from the LGBT community, that still would not have affected my decision to attend this school.
2) If someone went to a school -- co-ed or otherwise -- based solely on their sexuality, they have other problems.
Anyway, back to this conversation between my roommate and her cousin.
Her cousin then made a comment, saying, "But I don't understand! It's college! That's where I lost my virginity! Wait, are you still a virgin?"
My response? Well...
1) I'm not ignorant or stupid enough to believe that people don't have sex when they go to college. I get it. It's college. It's a new experience. It's the first time many people have been away from home for so long, so why not make college the place of many "first times"? But I also don't think that people choose to college just for the sex factor. Some might, but they are in the minority.
2) It's great that she lost her virginity in college. Why does being in college automatically come with the assumption that that's where everyone else lost their virginity, too?
So, basically...
What I'm trying to get across is that not everyone goes off to college to have the wildest times of their life. Sure, sex happens on college campuses all around the world. I don't doubt that for a second. However, that is not why most people choose to go to college. They go for the education, for the extracurriculars, or maybe even because their parents told him so. But sex is rarely the reason, just the bonus, the cherry on top. (HA! Unintentional pun)
Going to an all girl's school doesn't make my experience or reasons any different than anyone else's. It doesn't make me any less straight or any more gay. Yes, I fell in love when I came to college. But not with a person. I fell in love with the beauty in and around my university, and with all the programs that my liberal arts school has to offer. I chose this college specifically because I felt that it was the perfect fit for me, that it would nurture my love for writing and contribute to my education better than any other school can. I fell in love with my school for its programs, not for some hidden lesbian part of me that would only show itself once I was in an environment full of women. I wish people would just realize this and keep their mouths shut the next time they even think about making a rude and rash comment like that.
