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Lesson 007 - First Times & Family Ties
Join us as we take a look at how virginity and marriage became two of history’s most powerful myths. In this episode of A Broad Sex Education, we trace the origins of purity culture- from ancient marriage contracts and blood-stained sheets to modern body-count debates and purity pledges. It's part history, part sociology, and all about unlearning the lesson that purity needs to be proven.
✏️ Listener Note:This podcast is a sex education resource intended for an adult audience. This episode mentions sexual violence, purity testing, and gender-based discrimination. Listener discretion is advised.
🗳️ Submit an anonymous question for Office Hours!
🏅 Join the Honor Roll newsletter for exclusive content and study guides!
👩🏻🏫 Explore the full curriculum here!
📚Recommended Reading & Resources
Engels, F. (1884). *The origin of the family, private property, and the state.* Progress Publishers.
- Classic Marxist analysis of how patriarchy and property ownership shaped marriage as a tool of social control.
Meyers, C. (1988). *Discovering Eve: Ancient Israelite women in context.* Oxford University Press.
- A foundational text on women’s roles, purity, and family law in early Hebrew society — including the Deuteronomy “proof of virginity.”
World Health Organization, UN Women, & Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. (2018). *Eliminating virginity testing: An interagency statement.* https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/eliminating-virginity-testing-an-interagency-statement
- Global human-rights declaration explaining why virginity testing — including the two-finger test — is scientifically baseless and abusive.
Stacey, J. (2011). *Unhitched: Love, marriage, and family values from West Hollywood to Western China.* NYU Press.
- Explores nontraditional family systems, including the Mosuo “walking marriages,” and how they challenge Western notions of marriage.
Faderman, L. (1991). *Odd girls and twilight lovers: A history of lesbian life in twentieth-century America.* Columbia University Press.
- Chronicles queer women’s lives in a society that demanded heterosexual performance — the context behind lavender marriages.
National Women’s Law Center. (2023). *The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act reinforces sexism and abuse in sports.* https://nwlc.org/the-protection-of-women-and-girls-in-sports-act-reinforces-sexism-and-abuse-in-sports/
- Explains how vague “sex verification” laws echo historic virginity testing and reinforce gender policing in modern policy.
View all episodes
By CinJoin us as we take a look at how virginity and marriage became two of history’s most powerful myths. In this episode of A Broad Sex Education, we trace the origins of purity culture- from ancient marriage contracts and blood-stained sheets to modern body-count debates and purity pledges. It's part history, part sociology, and all about unlearning the lesson that purity needs to be proven.
✏️ Listener Note:This podcast is a sex education resource intended for an adult audience. This episode mentions sexual violence, purity testing, and gender-based discrimination. Listener discretion is advised.
🗳️ Submit an anonymous question for Office Hours!
🏅 Join the Honor Roll newsletter for exclusive content and study guides!
👩🏻🏫 Explore the full curriculum here!
📚Recommended Reading & Resources
Engels, F. (1884). *The origin of the family, private property, and the state.* Progress Publishers.
- Classic Marxist analysis of how patriarchy and property ownership shaped marriage as a tool of social control.
Meyers, C. (1988). *Discovering Eve: Ancient Israelite women in context.* Oxford University Press.
- A foundational text on women’s roles, purity, and family law in early Hebrew society — including the Deuteronomy “proof of virginity.”
World Health Organization, UN Women, & Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. (2018). *Eliminating virginity testing: An interagency statement.* https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/eliminating-virginity-testing-an-interagency-statement
- Global human-rights declaration explaining why virginity testing — including the two-finger test — is scientifically baseless and abusive.
Stacey, J. (2011). *Unhitched: Love, marriage, and family values from West Hollywood to Western China.* NYU Press.
- Explores nontraditional family systems, including the Mosuo “walking marriages,” and how they challenge Western notions of marriage.
Faderman, L. (1991). *Odd girls and twilight lovers: A history of lesbian life in twentieth-century America.* Columbia University Press.
- Chronicles queer women’s lives in a society that demanded heterosexual performance — the context behind lavender marriages.
National Women’s Law Center. (2023). *The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act reinforces sexism and abuse in sports.* https://nwlc.org/the-protection-of-women-and-girls-in-sports-act-reinforces-sexism-and-abuse-in-sports/
- Explains how vague “sex verification” laws echo historic virginity testing and reinforce gender policing in modern policy.