By Emily Witko
One Friday night during my junior year of college, I went to a party with some friends and never intended on doing more than drinking a little and dancing a lot. I was having an immense amount of fun and as the party went on it became apparent that something extraordinary was going to happen. That night, I went home with a woman.
Three short months later, I was traveling south to spend my summer conducting psychology research at Western Kentucky University. I learned very quickly that this was going to be a very interesting place to grapple with my sexuality.
Shortly after my arrival, my colleagues and I met a group of guys from a neighboring college. One of the boys instantly latched on to me, and kept following me around, as if we were at a middle school dance and he had chosen his target for the evening. Eventually, somebody told him that I am a lesbian and he came to me shocked and appalled by the news.
I was sitting with my friend, Angie, who is someone who’s had an unforgettable influence in my life, when he strolled over. It was getting late and he had been drinking all night. At this point, he was sweaty, smelly, drunk and annoying. He looked at me, with hurt in his eyes, and said very plainly “why would you ever, ever choose to date a girl when you could have me?!”
I could hardly find the words to respond. Luckily, within seconds, as I sat there dumbfounded, Angie did the most amazing thing: she laughed. She laughed so wholeheartedly that I could not help but join in. I was (and still am) incredibly appreciative of that moment of freedom and loving support.
This one story is merely a snippet of my coming out process. I, along with everyone else you are reading about, live this process every day. Please continue to laugh with us on our way to equality.
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