Busting the “Technical Virgin” Myth

For months now, articles about our "hook-up culture" have touted the fact that teens have been engaging in oral and anal sex instead of vaginal sex so that they can still call themselves virgins. The trouble is, it turns out that so-called fact is actually a myth.

According to a new study by the Guttmacher Institute, a think tank focused on sexual and reproductive health issues, the "technical virgin" thing is a myth Instead, the Guttmacher study of teen sexual behavior found that "Teens said they began vaginal and oral sex at roughly the same time -- by six months after first vaginal intercourse, 82 percent had also engaged in oral sex, according to the study." Only about 10 percent of the teens studied had engaged in anal sex, the vast majority of whom also engaged in vaginal sex.

The Guttmacher's Laura Lindberg, who led the study, called out the Bush administration on its policy to teach mainly abstinence in school programs. This "does not give teens the skills and information they need to be safe." Since CDC figures released in March show 1 in 4 teenage girls has a sexually transmitted disease, she's darn tootin' right that abstinence-only education is failing our girls.