When I began this project way back when, my original mission was to cover off as many different ‘types’ of stories as I possibly could. I wanted to interview old people, young people, gay people, straight people, black people, white people, people from as many different cultural or religious backgrounds as I could and as many different ‘situations’ as I could. I wanted to interview people with disabilities for instance and in this regard I got lucky. One of my favourite interviews of all time was from the disabled man who told me pretty much the best virginity loss story I had ever heard. But culture, being what it is, has made it trickier to get the more diverse interviews that I want and to this end readers, I am posting a plea!
Lots of cultures consider the idea of talking about sex and virginity a repellent idea and I dig that. Sexuality is alive and kicking in Islamic culture – the Koran talks widely about sexuality but that doesn’t mean that people are encouraged to talk openly to each other, let alone a stranger about their sexual lives. As it happens, I do have a story from a young Muslim woman about virginity loss but because this woman lost her virginity before marriage, I have never felt able to include this account without its more traditional counterpart – a story from a young person who waited for marriage – sitting by its side.
Quite apart from anything else, this is a story that I personally, would find far more interesting. There was nothing standing between me and the loss of my virginity. Whilst I would hardly say I was encouraged to lose it, I wasn’t exactly held back from it either. For me, finding out what is going on inside the mind of a young woman – or a man – who is living alongside the endemic temptations of modern society but knows that they will not have sexual intercourse until the day that they get married is a fascinating counterpoint to my own life and that of many of the people who write into me at this blog…..so my question to you is this: do you know anyone who would be prepared to be interviewed by me, not for my blog but for my book?
Anonymity would be a given. They can choose to tell me as much or as little as they feel comfortable with. I am more interested in what was going on in their heads than the gory details – although gory details are fine too! In the end, I am looking to interview people from interesting religious or cultural backgrounds who waited until they got married to lose their virginity. The younger and more contemporary the better but it’s not a deal breaker. You’d be contributing towards a unique snapshot of British society in the 21st Century and I would love to have you on board, whoever you are. I can be contacted at katemonroe@yahoo.com
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