Aborn-again virgin (also known as asecondary virgin)[1][2] is a person who, after having engaged insexual intercourse, makes some type ofcommitment not to be sexually active again.[3]: 146 [4]: 397–398 Often, this commitment is intended to last until the adherent enters amarriage.[5][2] It can more broadly refer to any kind of re-identification as avirgin, for whatever reason, and however virginity is defined.[1]: 118
The concept has been taught inabstinence-only sex education courses, and more commonly used amongevangelical andfundamentalistChristians, who place a strong emphasis onabstinence frompremarital andextramarital relations.[2][1] Christian organizations such asTrue Love Waits orSilver Ring Thing have promoted versions that also encouraged born-again virgins to make avirginity pledge,[3]: 146 [1]: 115–116 in the form of a "written, web-based, or public ceremonial declaration".[1]: 115–116
The concept of "born-again virginity" was first popularized in the United States in the 1980s, by abstinence-based sex education books; this curricula then gained further exposure in the 1990s and 2000s,[1]: 115–116 particularly with the imposition of abstinence-based sex education on schools as a result ofa national welfare reform law passed in 1996.[5]
In season 9 of the popularmedical dramaGrey's Anatomy, Dr.April Kepner, then an attending physician at Seattle Grace-Mercy West Hospital, announces that she is "revirginizing" after having sex with fellow resident Dr.Jackson Avery. This does not last long, as she has sex with him again at the end of the episode.
In season 3, episode 16 ofThe Last Man on Earth, Todd reclaimed his virginity prior to his wedding by abstaining from intercourse with his fiancée, Melissa, until their wedding.
In the episode "Luanne Virgin 2.0" ofKing of the Hill, Luanne and Peggy restore their virginity by participating in a ceremony headed by their minister.
In season 9, episode 8 ofSupernatural, Rock and a Hard Place, Sam and Dean both reclaim their virginity in order to investigate a missing persons case revolving around a chastity group, which all the victims were once a part of.