At what point is it appropriate to start dating?

I'm 18 and on my senior year of high school, I have never dated anyone before and was wondering where to start, or if I even should. I have made other gay/bi friends in my school through LGBT club and LGBT events but no one I would consider dating in my age (read: in high school), and while I don't feel a NEED to be in a relationship (in the sense I am willing to wait for a good one) I would really like to know what it is like to have someone who cares about you in and is able to express that in ways that are best fostered through committed relationships, as shown by almost every straight couple I know.In other words, I want what they have but don't know if it is healthy or smart for me to go in search of that quite yet. So my question is, now that I am 18 and can legally use dating sites and attend 18+ events (Like prides and concerts), should I? Or is there too much of a stigma around dating a high schooler?TL;DR: can 18 y/o high schooler date 19 y/o grad?