Hi!
I'm also a 17 year old gay girl - I was pretty much in your position until really recently.
The first step to coming out is to come out to yourself
Seriously the internet has so many resources where LGBT people thrive (YouTube is the main one for me - there's so many lesbian youtubers who do lots of videos of their coming out stories, talking about their girlfriends and other LGBT issues, and it's great for making you feel like you're not the only one which it can really feel like if nobody is out in your school like in my case.) It's important to only come out when YOU feel comfortable, not because you feel like you should! The hardest part is the first time you come out because you really don't know what to expect - I recommend you pick someone you really trust, like feathergirl said. I chose my best friend
I've only had positive reactions so far which is good!
The first time you come out is so scary, but trust me after that you feel so much closer to the person! (in my experience anyway, I'm out to my close friends now and I feel a lot more trusting of them now that they know). I'm not out to everyone in my school, simply because I don't see a reason why people I don't know should know about my sexuality. I'm not out to my family yet either - I just haven't found a good time yet. I've never had a girlfriend, but I'd feel a lot more comfortable coming out to them if I had one so that she could... support me? And it might feel more real?
sighMost people above have already said this, but seriously, a stereotype is just a stereotype and there's plenty of girls who don't fit it. I have long hair and generally look quite feminine, yet I am totally
gaaaay. Most people are really surprised when I tell them and I've been told I don't "look gay". It's really annoying! What you look like says nothing about the sort of people you love. I think if "straight" wasn't the default then we wouldn't have that problem! Here's a
video I like to watch when I feel sad about it, so maybe it'll help you too
(it's a short video featuring a bunch of feminine lesbians with the same issue as us.)
I've had so many girl crushes it's unreal (I have one now, incidentally, but I don't think she feels the same way... sob) I'd say just get to know her a bit more (get her number, text her a bit, maybe arrange to meet up outside of college sometime) and maaaaybe if you feel comfortable enough and get a good level of trust, come out to her and see how she reacts! I would recommend telling someone else before you tell her though, just so you have a support system if it doesn't work out the way you hoped
Feel free to PM me if you want to chat about it - I need more LGBT friends in my life!