Have you ever been bored in lecture and your mind starts to wander? All of a sudden you imagine everyone in the room disappearing. A person enters the room and you two begin to kiss – at first it’s innocent and sweet but then it turns passionate.

Next thing you know you are tearing each other’s clothes off – then the professor says “that’s all for today” and you come back to reality.

When it comes to having sex in public places many of us only dream about it while others actually do it.

According to a recent MSNBC.com survey, 22 percent of all men and women in America had sex in a public place last year, which has almost doubled in the past 10 years. Many psychologists contribute this to the Internet and sites like YouTube and salacious reality television shows.

So why is having sex in public places such a taboo? We watch sex on television and the Internet – sometimes we even pay to watch it. Why are we so hush-hush when it comes to doing the deed in public?

I personally believe it has a lot to do with how people were raised. The people polled in the MSNBC.com survey found that those who said they had thought about or had sex in public places were more open about their sexual conquests and all agreed that sex was talked about openly in their households when they were younger. Those who thought sex in public places was not for them said they didn’t talk about sex openly in their households.

Also, in America the way we view sex is different from many European counties. In America, sex is something that is hidden and is dirty until you reach 18 or get married. As young children we are told that sex is bad and dirty, so when we become adults we treat sex as if it something that is secretive and should never be talked about in public situations, much less done in public.

Recently, Amsterdam made sex in public legal in parks after sundown. They noted the reason for the law change was because it was happening anyway. Amsterdam’s government hopes that other countries will follow its lead and take part in this law that “brings so much pleasure and doesn’t really bother others.”

So if 22 percent of all Americans are having sex in public place, where are they doing it and are they getting caught?

Some of the most popular places to have sex in public are bathroom stalls, mall changing rooms and university classrooms. According to Askmen.com, university classrooms are one of the best places to have sex in. The chance of getting caught is lower than in a bathroom stall or changing room because classrooms have set schedules.

“Universities are trusting and leave doors unlocked,” according to Askmen.com. “Now all you have to do is dodge the janitor and remember to leave the lights off so you don’t attract any attention.”

Whether or not you decide to take the plunge and have sex in public, just remember that the embarrassment of being caught is worse then the legal ramifications you may endure.

Yasmine Bikul can be reached at [email protected]