Do you believe the term *Virginity* needs to be re-defined?

Question

By all accounts the definition of *Virgin* is applied to a male or female who have never had sexual intercourse with a member of the opposite sex.

Sexual activity is defined as all other explorations that does not involve intercourse, so is it fair to say many in the homosexual community that have never been with a person of the opposite sex should be considered *Virgins*

Answer 1

I think a Virgin is still a Virgin if the actual act of sexual intercourse (penetration), has never been done. Exploring others sexual activities, without complete penetration, You are still a virgin. As my mom always told me there is only one way to stay a virgin, That would be to keep your legs crossed, really tight, I believe that would apply to hetero, homo, bi, or what ever sexual preference you may have. As far as the medical side, an intact hymen in females means still a virgin. I haven't heard of any immaculate conceptions since the Blessed Mother Mary. As far as males, I would think the same applies!
Debi

Answer 2

I would say the word "virgin" is very outdated for a straight forward answer. I believe the definition of virgin is: a person who has not yet had sexual intercourse, untouched or unused. I'm not trying to sound crude but does intercourse mean the same as penetrative sex?. If it does then many homosexual men are not virgins. Where women are concerned does the penis have to be [dare i say] of flesh and blood and not man made?. Virginity still exists but to understand the full scale of somebodies sexual activity more questions need to asked.

Answer 3

I don't think the term needs to be redefined so much devalued or abolished, but I'd accept redefinition.

I've said before that the very concept of virginity is born of a worldview that doesn't value women or women's sexuality, of a culture that treats women as objects of male power/desire/sexuality. Even now, virginity is used primiarly as a tool to hamper women's sexuality and to divert it towards other purposes besides her own pleasure or desire (ie to get a man).

Virginity is something one "loses" - I think a sexual experience, like any other experience, is something one gains or has. Worse yet, women (and to a lesser extent men) can have their virginity "taken" away from them. Sexual experience should not take anything away from a person. When we first experience other markers of maturity - drinking, driving (hopefully not at the same time), voting, etc - we don't speak of losing something, but of gaining an experience. Sex should be the same way.

I am not saything that everyone needs to run out and have sex, or that there is no value to refraining from sex for any reason (ie, one is not emotionally mature enough, fear of pregnancy/STDs etc.).What I am saying is that the whole concept of virginity, and the loss therof, casts sex in a negative light (particularly for women).

Answer 4

Why redefine it? It has a definition.

Your second paragraph describes other situations but is not a definition. You can redefine any word if you like.

The definition of a gay person is homosexual. That word has no negative connotation but the politically correct have made that term obsolete. The sensitive term is now gay but there is nothing gay by definition that is gay about a homosexual unless
they are having a good time. Whatever group wants to call themselves is up to the groups. That is cool.

Words and meanings just get twisted around with contemporary meanings which are ever changing. However words to have meanings.

Now I got you all twisted around by my answer..

Answer 5

No. Virginity means someone who has never had sexual intercourse, not sexual intercourse with someone of the opposite sex. Therefore gay sex counts! TRUST ME, I KNOW!

Answer 6

virginity is really a title that means different things to different people. bottom line, it doesn't really matter to me whether you are a virgin or not. what matters is that you can be happy and comfortable with your sexuality.

what people really should think about is responsible sex. don't think you can be considered safe and pure simply by being a virgin.

i can state claim to the virgin title at 33 yrs old, and it's kinda fun to be able to say this at times, yet at the same time, i have engaged in oral sex and enjoyed doing it. i certainly don't consider myself sexually pure..

bottom line, being labelled a virgin doesn't really open the door to any particular benefits. it's not like you are going to get a tax break from the government or anything like that.. lol

Answer 7

Virginity is a definition which is specific to vagina penetration between a man and a woman.

However, the term has a conceptual connotation, which refers to participating in an inital act of sex which is of personal significance.

This personal significance, i.e., 'losing my virginity', is a subjective experience, and especially with non-heterosexual persons, it's usually up to the individual to decide when this has occurred.

There is no question of 'fairness' involved -- a person's virginity, physical or otherwise, is up to them, frankly, it's none of your business.

Answer 8

Yes. I desperately agree that virginity needs a better, newer definition.

I don't say that just because of gay people, though. I hear all sorts of ridiculous arguments by straight teens: "Oral sex isn't sex." (thanks, Clinton!), or, just recently, on the TV show 'Dirt': "Her virginity is really important to us. So we agreed I'd only put it in her butt.".

Goodness gracious! I don't mind someone losing their virginity, or pre-marital sex (though I don't personally believe in it), but people have got to understand that there's a definition of virginity that extends beyond the technical penis-in-vagina. In my mind, it's about physical intimacy with another person, and that's that.

So yes, I agree emphatically!

Answer 9

Well sex is an all encompassing word that also includes Oral and Anal sex. So technically if members of the gay, bisexual and transgender community have been engaged in any kind of sex they are no longer virgins...technically. (Remember the whole Monica Lewinski thing? Oral sex is considered sex.) lol

Answer 10

I would define virginity as never having whatever type of sex you and your partner would have. So using that for a gay man it would be anal etc.