Sex

It’s September, and the halls of the University are flooded with students, both returning and brand new.

It’s an exciting time for everyone, but what you may not know is that you’re starting a semester of school in probably the best era in history for all things love and sex.

Hetero-dabbling in unconventional sex is no longer a taboo topic. LGBT kids just a few years younger than myself are talking about how much easier it is to be queer in high school these days. It’s a fine time.

Granted, bigotry and sexual repression haven’t been completely erased and probably never will be. The ex-gay movement seems to be gaining traction. That's where people who're allegedly former gays try to make converts out of current gays.

With that in mind, nearly anything is sexually possible at school. For many students, university is their very first taste of freedom. The halls, tunnels, and grounds of a college campus have traditionally been places of experimentation, boundary-smashing, and all-round non-judgmental sex. So there’s no excuse not to have the kind of sex you want to have, or to be in the kind of relationship you want to be in.

If you were the only gay kid in your town of 400, now’s your chance to meet others like yourself. If you’ve enrolled with the express intention of locking down a husband (or wife), you’re in the right place.

If you’ve always fantasized about various unconventional practices the editors won't let me list, this might be the best place to find willing participants.

The point is, you’re in a place that’s nurtured sexual experimentation for eons, and an era in which just about anything goes, so stop being self-conscious and enjoy yourself.

That said, there are a few cautions.

STDs can be treated, and in many cases, except for AIDS, cured. But you'll probably go through extreme discomfort along the way: both the disease and the treatment. You could be out of serious action for a while, including not being up for classes, labs, exams, etc. These things have a habit of hitting you at the exact worst time.

AIDS can be treated. The treatments will be improved. But for now, it's a real, big-time downer, second only to heroin addiction. (Be careful of heroin too. Like stay away from it.)

Sexual repression may be at an all-time low, but these diseases are not. So, everyone, be safe all the time. In a long-term relationship? Are you certain your partner was previously a virgin? Either both get tested, or don't (excuse me!) let things slip.

Disease is the first thing. The second is recreational drugs, including the zonker of choice for most, alcohol. Predators are out there. And apart form that, people get into stuff (excuse me again!) that they wouldn't when they were sober. Make decisions when you're sober, and stick to them when you're not.

Third and finally: be aware of the emotional consequences. Some people are capable of having completely emotion-free sex, but most aren’t. Bearing that in mind, be courteous and respectful. Sure, no can sometimes mean yes. But you gotta be sure. If it's not consensual -- totally and genuinely consensual, then it's exploitation, rape, whatever. Unless you're a sociopath, you'll get hurt as well as the other person.