Stereotypes

I wish people wouldn't stereotype me. Some people think I am gay because I am on a women's hockey team and some people think that since I am in a sorority, I must be rich, snobby, slutty, drunk, a cokehead, or maybe some combination. But I am none of those. I wasn't before and I am not now.

I am on a women's hockey team because I like playing hockey and I have a hockey scholarship which means that I won't owe as much money when I'm done here. I am in my sorority because where else would you find such a large group of instant friends - well they are instant once you are accepted and initiated.

There are a lot of differences between sororities and there are also great differences within sororities including the extent to which your life revolves around the sorority.

Enough truth can be found in some of these stereotypes that I can see why people think it. I am an exception to the rule on my hockey team; there are more lesbians on my team than I have ever seen in any group of the same number of girls. Yet my friend who plays hockey at another college says there is about an even split between gay and straight people. But the people on the team take you as you are. If you are not gay, that's ok. Nobody is going to try to persuade you. Same as if you are gay. There is no pressure to be gay or straight. You learn to accept it. That's part of going to college and growing up. You meet people that have very different lives from you, but you accept them.

Guys’ team sports are different since not a lot of the team members will talk about guys on their team being gay, or at least I have never heard it mentioned. I think that the homophobia that's still out there would it very difficult for any guy who is involved in it. If a guy on the team is gay, he's probably in the closet because he would be too scared to admit it as he knows he would have a huge problem with his teammates and it would probably end up with him leaving the team.

But now here am I spouting out a stereotype of my own and we shouldn't really do that. I am an individual and anyone who I could call my friend knows me as an individual and not just as a member of some kind of group. Same with other kinds of stereotypes. Maybe there is a reason for the stereotype, maybe not. Not all African-Americans are the same. Or Hispanics. Or Asians. Or tiny people. Or overweight people. We are people and we are individuals. Once you have gotten to know someone and long before they ever become a good friend, if they ever do, all of these kinds of things become unimportant. You just see the person there in front of you. The only exception is the rich kids - there is a distinct shortage in my life of people to take me out and buy me stuff.