My first post 
Well, here's the situation. My boyfriend and I have been together for a little over half a year, and we've done everything but sex. I'm a virgin and he's not. We came really close to doing it once, but we didn't have a condom so decided against it. I've been thinking about it a lot since then, and a girlfriend of mine told me that everytime she did the deed with a boyfriend, he seemed to lose respect for her. Hence, I'm a little afraid to go ahead with it. I really want to though! 
Ladies, did any of you ever have that experience?
And men (oh alright, gentlemen 
), has that ever been the case for you?
And what is it with men and "deflowering" virgins?
If you think you're ready, then go for it.
Just because your friend had some bad experiences, doesn't mean you will either.
I lost my virginity to a friend of mine, who was definately not a virgin. It's been roughly two years since we met now (and a few months shy of when we first did it) and he's now one of my best friends, and every now and then we get together for some.
He lost no respect for me when we did it... and we've actually become closer out of it.
So anyways, point being, not everyone will "lose respect" for someone else because they did it.
I think trust is the key factor in sex. If you trust him enough to not run off afterwards because woo, he scored a virgin, or to not lose respect for you, for just whatever else you can think of, then I think you're ready.
I chose my friend because I trusted him to not run off and desert me afterwards, and obviously he hasn't, so yay for that.
So I say go for it. You're both obviously willing and ready and if you trust him, what have you got to lose (no pun intended). If he winds up being a jerk afterwards, you can just kick him to the curb and move on to someone better.
I'm in the same situation as you-- I have been with my boyfriend for a year and some odd months. We have done everything but sex. He is not a virgin, but I am. Though we have talked about it a lot, and even came close to doing it, we also decided not too yet.
The reason for that, was we wanted to be in love. Not in lust. Though sex is definitly -part- of a relationship, you do not want to have sex, and then do it everyday for the rest of your life with him. In other words, you don't want to build your relationship on top of sex once you start doing it. You won't be in love, and neither will he. This must be what your friend meant when he was losing respect for her.
However, if you want it, and your boyfriend does as well. Then go for it.
If you are really unsure about it, I would definitly talk to your boyfriend about it. Find out what he is expecting from you, and vice versa. If he cares about you a lot, it won't happen everyday, because he wants room for a whole other part of the relationship, and trust me, that will feel so much better in the long run. 