A few days ago, my English teacher declared that he would propose a virginity test to be done in our school, a private high school. The girls in my class, including me, strongly disagreed. Their reason was mostly because “it’s disgusting,” but mine is way longer and more complex than just “disgusting.”
First of all, what is virginity anyway? Is it something in your vagina? Or is it in the uterus? What exactly is it?
It’s nothing. I repeat, virginity is not a thing. The only thing it is is a concept. Virginity has no meaning whatsoever in the biomedical world. Nada. There’s the dictionary meaning, “ the state of never having had sexual intercourse,” but again, it doesn’t mean anything. Sexual intercourse means penetrative sex, and people define sex differently.
No, even the hymen is not the definitive marker of someone’s virginity. The hymen is a membrane that surrounds or partially covers the external vaginal opening, and it doesn’t even serve any purpose AT ALL. Sure, the hymen—if you have one, because not everyone is born with a hymen—can rip (even though it doesn’t necessarily have to. Some people’s hymens just stretch) the first time a female engages in a sexual intercourse, but it can also be torn by injuries, medical examinations, or even physical exercise.
Even bringing up the hymen creates the assumption that only people with vaginas can be virgins. That brings us to the conclusion: virginity is a manmade concept created to control female sexuality. Virginity is a misogynistic idea, and misogynistic ideas have to change.
So, virginity test.
I live in Indonesia, where sex is taboo and virginity is extremely glorified in our society. It is so worshipped that the recruits of the female military are obligated to undergo a virginity test. Not only the military, but government-affiliated colleges like The Indonesian State College of Accountancy also require a virginity test. The military also demands the brides-to-be of men serving in the army to undergo a virginity test. The reason behind this is because it’s “a matter of national security.” Apparently, if a woman is sexually active, they can’t serve in the military or enrol in the college because “they can’t continue their bad habit in the institution.” Meanwhile, you have to be proven virgin before marrying a soldier because “men need to be able to trust their wives because they often travel away from home.” You can’t get any more sexist than this.
I am a virgin. My hymen is intact. I do not have anything to worry if I had to take a virginity test, but the mere sexist concept of it and the trauma of 6 women who have undergone the test is enough to make me fully oppose the test.
If those adult women are still traumatised even after four years, what about us high school students? We are only 16 years old. Can you even begin to imagine how traumatised 16-year-old girls would be after having two fingers inserted into their vaginas? Sure, the test requires our consent, but if we say no, people would make assumptions. I can just hear the voices of my teachers saying, “Oh, I know why she refused to do the test. I bet she’s not a virgin anymore.” when they find out someone says no.
If someone fails the test, even if she hasn’t had sex but her hymen is not intact because of whatever reason, what happens then? Will the school kick her out? Besides, what is the point of the test anyway? If someone is proven to be not a virgin, what will the school do? They can’t deprive her of her education. The Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia guarantees in Chapter XIII, Article 31, Section 1 that “Each citizen has the right to receive an education.” So if the school can’t kick someone out, what even is the point of the test?
The point is that a woman’s sexual activity should be subject to public knowledge and criticism, even if we’re still in high school. The point is that women are so degraded and objectified that our virginity is the only important indicator of our dignity and worth.
The test can and will damage us socially and mentally. It will destroy our reputation just because we don’t pass a scientifically invalid test.
Virginity test is a violation of bodily autonomy. Girls should be able to do whatever they want with their bodies without being ridiculed. Girls should be able to have a choice in their sexual life—whether or not they want to participate without having tests done on them to prove that they are worthy of job and education. Girls should be able to have bodily integrity.
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