I (27F) recently found out that apparently I’m considered “disgusting” because I sit on public toilet seats instead of hovering, and now my boyfriend (29M) is acting like I committed some horrible betrayal.
For context, if I’m using a restroom at a restaurant, gas station, mall, or anywhere public, I’ll sit down if the seat looks clean. If there are a few drops of water or anything questionable, I wipe it down thoroughly with toilet paper before using it. I’ve honestly always thought this was normal behavior because… that’s literally what toilet seats are for?
Well, this became a huge issue after I casually mentioned sitting in a porta potty during a road trip. My boyfriend looked absolutely horrified and started asking me questions like I had confessed to something criminal.
He told me he thinks it’s “gross” that I’ve been intimate with him after sitting on public toilets and compared it to rubbing himself on a toilet lid before coming home. He keeps going on about “germs,” “bathroom particles,” and how he can’t stop thinking about it now.
At first I laughed because I genuinely thought he was joking, but he’s dead serious. He even asked why I never told him I sit on public toilet seats, as if this was some secret I intentionally hid from him.
Now I’m second-guessing myself because I asked a few friends, and surprisingly a lot of them said they hover instead of sitting. Some even agreed with my boyfriend and said sitting directly on public toilet seats is gross no matter how clean they look.
Meanwhile, I feel like I’m losing my mind because I thought wiping the seat and using common sense was enough. I’ve never gotten sick from it, and I honestly assumed most women did the same thing.
Now my boyfriend is acting weirdly distant and keeps making comments about hygiene every time we go somewhere public, and I’m starting to get annoyed because this whole thing feels blown way out of proportion.
So… AITA for sitting on public toilet seats and never specifically telling my boyfriend about it?