Sexuality: Gay, Straight & Bisexual / Question
Published: January 21, 2004
Dear TeenHealthFX,
Can a girl have sex with another girl? Some of my friends were saying that they can't. Does that mean that if you are a lesbian that you remain a virgin forever?
Signed: Confused About Sexuality - Can Girls Have Sex With Girls?
Dear Confused About Sexuality - Can Girls Have Sex With Girls?,
Yes, girls can have sex with girls, and boys can have sex with boys. It all depends on the way you define the word "sex." Lots of people automatically assume that term refers to an act that involves a penis penetrating a vagina. However, gay and lesbian couples refer to what they do with their sexual partners - whether it is oral sex, anal sex, or vaginal sex involving a toy like a dildo - as "sex" too.
So, that logically leads to the next question you asked: If we define losing one's virginity as having penetrative vaginal intercourse, then how does someone who has same-sex partners lose their virginity? People often get kind of stuck on the word "virgin," which can be problematic. A gay or lesbian person may feel they lost their virginity the first time they had whatever intimate sexual experience fits that definition for them. When we realize how varied our sexual experiences can be, we start to realize how narrow our definitions are, and that they do not always include everyone. It is important not to get too hung up on the language, but instead, to think about what our intimate experiences mean to us personally.
Signed: TeenHealthFX
Most smokers begin smoking as teens, and the average age of initiation is 12.5 years of age.
