Sex. Woah. I feel like I’m going to get in trouble for writing that word. I’m so used to writing about anything but sex. It feels weird to talk about. It feels really weird to write and discuss it, especially in such an open setting. Why is that? It shouldn’t be. Sex is a completely normal thing to engage in, and it can be healthy for you if done regularly. I guess at the end of the day, there are some topics that some would rather not talk about, no matter how beneficial they are. I want to try to do my best to get to the bottom of it.

I feel like sex is kind of a myth when you’re a kid. Many times, kids learn about it when they’re younger during the formative years of childhood. I barely remember how I learned about it. I do remember in early middle school when the boys and girls got separated, and we were taught about what puberty would be like. Sheesh, talk about awkward. Ten-year-old me didn’t know whether to be scared or laugh with my friends. I do remember being in high school and hearing jokes about it from friends, or people who I knew. Interesting how information gets transferred when you’re 14 years old.

I feel like a lot of younger people just have trouble talking about sex to certain people in their life. I’ve always been pretty open to it. Well, depending on who I’m talking to. Through what I’ve seen, it’s pretty fair to say teens and young adults will feel more comfortable talking to their parents of the same sex about, well, sex. If I had to talk to one of my folks about sex, I would definitely go with my old man because I’m a dude and he’s a dude. It’s all common ground, ya know? I love my Ma, but there are some things better left unsaid. Still though, while I’ve been open with people close to me about sex-related questions, I know a ton of people who are the opposite.

I know some people who are sexually active, and I know some people who are not sexually active. Being open about talking about sex, and actually having it, is not mutually exclusive. Some of my friends who talk about sex a lot are the ones who aren’t having it at all. They don’t have a girlfriend, and according to them, they’re scared of women. Sounds like a joke, but go online and many people will agree. Look at studies and surveys from recent years. Nowadays, around 33 percent of college students aren’t having sex. There’s nothing wrong with not having sex, but I bet a lot of people who want it aren’t getting it. Why? Many reasons, but I can’t help but feel like if sex was more openly talked about, it wouldn’t be such a big, scary deal in the first place.

I enjoy talking about sex with my close friends because it’s a bonding activity. Sex is such an intimate thing to do, and talking about it makes it easier. It can be scary though. Both talking about it, but also doing it. I have some people close to me who want to have it, but never have and are scared about it. It’s super normal and common to feel this way about sex. If we were more open about talking about it with people in our lives, whether it’s our family, or close friends, I feel like a lot more people would be excited to have sex, instead of scared. But why are these people scared in the first place?

Well, it’s because frankly, sex is beautiful. It’s the most intimate thing you can do with someone. It can bring you so close to someone, unlike anything else ever. Some may say it’s sacred. Is it sacred to everyone? Hell no. Just go on the internet and that’ll prove my point. But sex is this super significant and beautiful thing. The potential to make life? That’s powerful. And it’s this power, combined with the societal pressure to either have it, or not talk about, that shun a lot of people from talking about it in the first place. I’ll always be there to lend the people close to me an ear, and I hope other people do the same for their loved ones.

Nicolas Scagnelli is a senior majoring in English.