Defining Virginity

The Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky scandal of 1998 sparked debate over the seemingly simple question: What is sex?

“Sex is any kind of sexual immorality,” Carson says. “That includes oral gratification.”

Demetria Carson holds the two cards she carries around with at all times. The cards serve as a reminder of the commitment she made to God. {larger}

Jaime Howard, senior marketing major, says she disagrees.

“That’s called making out,” Howard says. “I mean, it’s a form of sex, but just because you do that doesn’t mean you’re not a virgin anymore.”

Most people agree with the traditional concept of sex, according to a study published in the May 2001 Journal of Sex Research, which was conducted by Laura Carpenter, an assistant professor of sociology who teaches gender studies at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee. The definition, according to Carpenter, is a man and a woman engaging in vaginal intercourse. The absence of this act in one’s past is known as “technical virginity.”

But when other forms of sex, such as oral, come into question, the results are muddled. Carpenter concluded that the reason for the confusion was a result of society’s transformation in response to social movements, such as feminism and gay rights.

“An individual’s sexual identity and broad social changes around sexual identity play a huge role,” Carpenter says. “Gay men and lesbians tend to define virginity loss in ways that apply to their own experiences.”

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