Warning: If You are a BYU Student, You Might Get Offended

My first class of the new semester was "The Psychology of Gender." I knew going in that this was going to be a good class, but I'm not quite sure what to expect.

The class started out with our professor saying that this class is exactly what it advertises. We are going to talk about sex and gender. "And we are going to use the words that pertain to it. I won't use them today, but if you stay, I will be using them."

Wow. Really? We're twenty-something year old college students at a university that is expected to be more mature than the rest and we can't handle "penis" or "vagina"? But whatever.

Anyway, she continued on and talked about how sex is such an important issue to talk about, and that because we don't talk about it so much, we have a whole new breed of problems. Newlywed students have come to her as clients because the new wife has such a disposition against sex that she won't make love to her husband. (One more reason being gay trumps being straight. You both know where you stand on sex: yes).

And all in all, sex and gender are just such a huge part of our lives that we can't ignore them, as is the trend in the white-bread mormon world.

I'm sure it's going to be one hell of a class. We are going to spend several weeks discussing homosexuality in one way or another. We are even going to hear from a therapist from the counseling center and a director of Evergreen. (Not sure I'm going to agree with the Evergreen guy, but at least it's going to be talked about)

But I honestly wonder how long I'm going to be able to stay in the closet in this class. Finally there is a forum where these things can be discussed openly and honestly. And I know, I just know, some little mormon girl is going to make some ignorant comment, and it'll be the last straw. I just don't know how to toe the line between out of the closet and expel-able.

But these are things that need to be said, especially to the BYU community.

At the same time, I'm really looking forward to leaving this place. I'm tired of hiding.