by Dan Savage
Originally posted on June 2, 2014.
I am a single woman, 31, in LA, and on OkCupid. (We all are.) I've gotten a number of unicorn requests. (Maybe because I mention being a subscriber to the Savage Lovecast magnum version in my profile?) I've never responded—until the other day. One unicorn request stood out. I wrote back. They seem like cool, smart, interesting people (a 40-year-old liberal married couple). Their profile is funny, and they're quite attractive! And here I am, not doing anything else or anyone else... and I'm thinking... this could be cool. It could be an awesome experience. Why not play around while everything is still slim and perky? But! I have some concerns!
1. Uh... what now? I gave them my number, but I can't say that I'm definitely a YES on this. I'm also not a NO. What happens now? We meet for drinks? Then what?
2. I've never even had a one-night stand. I've pretty much always had boyfriends. I don't know what my question is here, it's just something I've been turning over in my head. I just don't want to feel like a hooker! (Not that there's anything wrong with being a sex worker!)
3. I'm not bi. I don't say that I'm bi on my OkCupid profile. I cannot imagine a scenario in which I would want to put my face in someone's twat. (I know you understand the feeling.) But I don't think I have any issue with being on the receiving end. (Maybe? I've never been a unicorn!) I've done the college playing-around-with-girls thing—topless make-outs for a boyfriend's viewing pleasure—but nothing crazy.
I think, if I meet them, and if it goes well, I should ask them what their thoughts are about this, if they've done it before, what their boundaries are, etc. I would confirm that if anyone feels uncomfortable, everyone involved has the green light to call a stop to the whole thing. I'd also lay out my limitation in regards to the wife. But... should I go for it? What should I do or say?
Future Unicorn Nervously Guessing At Logistics
1. Meet, have drinks, and talk, FUNGAL—and be sure to tell that nice, funny, attractive couple everything you've told us. And then do what any sane person would do: Fuck 'em if it feels right, don't if it doesn't.
2. Refuse to accept money in exchange for sex—don't let the nice couple pay you—and you won't be a sex worker. (Not that there's anything wrong with being a sex worker.) And if you've only ever had sex in the context of a relationship, and if you want it to stay that way, then make that clear to the nice couple: Developing a relationship with you is a requirement before you can all jump into bed together. And they'll probably be up for it, FUNGAL, as most couples who are out there looking for unicorns—which is hard work—are seeking a regular, reliable third, i.e., someone they see again and again, someone they can get to know better and come to trust and rely on. A couple with a regular third that they're emotionally invested in may not be what comes to mind when people hear the word "relationship," but it is a relationship, and it can be a fun and rewarding one.
3. Again, tell this couple everything you've told us. The only reason you hesitate, FUNGAL, is that you fear rejection. Your fear is thoroughly common, completely understandable, and totally irrational. I mean, think about it: The reason you're hesitating to tell them that you're not bisexual—that you have no interest in putting your face in a twat (but you're up for having her face in yours if she's cool with no-recip oral)—is that you worry you'll be rejected. What if you're not what they want? But if they have their hearts set on a unicorn that wants to go facedown in twat,then you're the wrong unicorn for them. More importantly, FUNGAL, they're the wrong couple for you. Better to have a nice, clean, honest rejection over cocktails—a mutual recognition that you're not a match—than to find yourself in bed being pressured to do something you don't wanna do.
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