By Kat Diltz

Staff Writer

One of the greatest lessons that I have learned is to not judge a book by its cover. Upon starting my first year at CSUSM, I kept an open mind when meeting new people, because who a person is on the inside is worth a thousand times more than their physical exterior.

Everyone’s personality is different, and may not match who they appear to be on the outside. This also applies to each individual’s sexual orientation, which is a sensitive subject that typically would not be appropriate to bring up among acquaintances, but some people do not mind pushing the boundaries.

I have had a rather peculiar situation happen to me on more than one occasion, each time with different groups of people. During the first few weeks of school, when I introduced myself to groups of girls, one girl would ask me if I was a lesbian, and before I would have a chance to respond, another would chime in and say, “No, she’s too pretty to be a lesbian.” I then responded by saying that I am straight; however, this situation got me thinking about LGBTQ “stereotypes.”

Hypothetically, if I did identify as a lesbian, I would feel a bit offended. These girls had a certain expectation of what a lesbian should look like, which was a woman with short hair, little to no makeup, a deeper voice and a masculine style. There are many gay women who have a feminine sense of style, and there are many who do not.

Later in these conversations, I would ask these girls why they assumed that I was gay, and one would say, “Oh, because your voice is deep.” I was always confused by this response because my voice does fall into a lower register, but just because I have one quality of a “stereotypical” lesbian does not make me one.

Everyone should be allowed to express their personal style however they want, regardless of their sexual orientation. People have different quirks that make them who they are, and we should not be quick to judge the people we meet based on their exterior. Give people a chance to show you who they truly are before making assumptions–you may just discover someone is great.