Dear Teens: Your Sexual Choices Are Absolutely Part of Your Character Whether You Like It or Not

Dear teenage guys and girls of America:  

I still remember the first time I ever went to prom. Ironically, it would wind up being the last time I ever went to prom. I was 17 years-old and my girlfriend attended a different high school. (The more popular high school, apparently.) The whole shindig is sort of a blur. I wasn’t much of a dancer back in those days, so I spent most of the event fearlessly guarding the punchbowl and watching my date tear up the dance floor with her friends. I was the poster-boy for the Prom Wallflower Association (we’re currently taking applications) and it took every ounce of courage I had to eventually ask my date to slow-dance with me. 

The whole “prom scene” never really appealed to me. Maybe it's because I was what adolescent culture considered a “nerd” who would rather be reading or catching up on homework than dancing or drinking punch made from Walmart’s Great Value grape juice. Or maybe it was that most of what went on at prom was either outside of my comfort zone or, as was often the case, conflicted with my Christian beliefs. You know — the sort of things that happen in the backs of limos and sports cars or in empty parking lots in the wee hours of the morning after all the partying is over. Intoxicated girls having sex with their dates, kids smoking cigarettes and weed and drunk guys brawling on the ground. I’m 29-years-old now, but it seems that times haven't really changed all that much. In fact, if anything, the prom-scene has actually gotten worse — even though most of the debauchery happens “behind-the-scenes.” 

I guess that’s why some students at a high school in Manitowoc, Wisconsin felt the need to hang posters at their school urging young teen girls "protect their character” by avoiding sexual intercourse on prom night. 

The movement was apparently sponsored by The Crossing of Manitowoc County, a non-profit, Christian-based pregnancy service that offers counseling for young girls, as well as Holy Family Memorial, a regional Catholic healthcare provider. You can see their logos at the bottom of the poster. 

The Crossing of Manitowoc County told a local news station: “We hope that these posters will remind and encourage teens to embrace healthy responsible behaviors so that prom will be a night to remember, not a night to regret.” 

As you might imagine, radical feminists and liberal nincompoops blasted the groups for suggesting that “a girl’s character is tied to her virginity.” Self-described “fashion and beauty girl” Elizabeth Denton of Seventeen Magazine (a publication that’s always a bastion of insight and journalistic integrity) argued that the poster’s “underlying message is disturbing.”

The posters seem to imply that a girl will no longer possess any of those positive character traits if she chooses to lose her virginity or have sex on prom night, that a girl who makes the choice to have sex can’t be “classy” or “thoughtful” or “charming.” Of course, there’s no poster for guys implying that what they do with their bodies will effect their character…Defining female students’ self-worth by whether or not they choose to have sex is a dangerous form of slut-shaming that sends the wrong message to both guys and girls…Everyone is allowed to believe that they want and practice their religion, but these type of church-sponsored posters are not legally allowed in public schools due to the separation of church and state.” 

Thanks, Liz. I guess in this age of backwards-thinking and modern-progressivism suggesting the idea that a girl might, could, would or should abstain from sex until marriage is the equivalent of slut-shaming hate speech. Thanks for enlightening us all to this radical notion. I feel much more educated on the issue now. Truly, your profound words of wisdom have opened my eyes to the truth here. 

Just kidding, you really couldn’t be more wrong about this, Liz, even if you tried.

Speaking of wrong, here’s a look at what the baby-killing, infanticide-endorsing progressives at Planned Parenthood had to say about the poster: 

I guess it’s really no surprise that an organization that makes a profit preying on the emotions of young pregnant women and snuffing babies out of existence would say this. After all, if sexually-active teen girls aren’t getting pregnant out of wedlock, then there aren’t any babies left to murder and these psychopathic butchers would be out of a job.

We are truly living in one of the most morally-bankrupt, depraved, backwards-thinking eras in human history. This idea that your sexual activity choices are somehow separate from your morality is nothing short of lunacy. 

Hey, teens: Do you see the problem here? Yes, I’m talking to you now. These liberal progressives want you to believe that having sexual intercourse with someone is only tied to your humanity. “It’s just natural, so get out there and have sex with whoever you want as often as you want!” Yes, it’s true that the act of sex is a biological one. It’s a wondrous thing. For crying out loud, it has the potential to create human life. How amazing is that? But, the decision about who you have sex with and when you have it is very much a part of your moral character and, subsequently, will reflect on your moral character. And this isn’t just true for girls. This applies to guys just as much as it does to the ladies. In fact, some people interpreted the poster as a call for men to protect the honor and integrity of their prom dates: 

I would caution you to keep the definition of ‘character’ in mind: “moral or ethical quality; reputation; qualities of honesty, courage, or the like; integrity.” 

Now, I know the progressive Left, the liberal feminists and even some of your friends are going to tell you that your morality, integrity and your reputation are not associated in any way with your sexual lifestyle. They’re going to tell you that these are two separate entities. After all, to say that morality and sexual choices are somehow related would throw a wrench into the entire liberal machine and 90 percent of their ideological arguments would be wiped out. And I know that it’s easier to live this way. It’s easier to just sleep with whoever you want and assume that your reputation and integrity will remain unscathed. It’s easier to believe the lie.

But, when you think about it, it’s actually quite impossible to separate the two. The distinction is this: While your natural sexual urges are not immoral in and of themselves, the capacities in which you choose to act upon those urges are going to be moral or immoral and, oftentimes, will have consequences that align with the ramifications of morality and immorality. Notice that I said “choose.” That’s what this is all about. Choice. If you’re 16 and having sex with your prom date, you're naturally running the risk of acquiring an STD or facing a pregnancy situation — not to mention all the emotional and relational drama that often comes with premarital sex. And for what? Ten minutes of pleasure? An hour? Two hours? Is that worth being a parent before your junior year? Is it worth having to quit the football team or band because you have a child to raise after school? Is it worth the second job you’ll have to get just to support the baby? Is it worth contemplating abortion so your parents won’t find out?

No, it’s not worth it.   

Ladies: Remember that, while your worth and value as a human being and as a woman does not hinge solely on waiting until marriage for sex, your virginity and your sexuality are precious and sacred and should not be entrusted to anyone but the husband who has committed to stay by your side for life. Right now, the idiots in the liberal media and the loons at organizations like Planned Parenthood will tell you that your worth is found in your ability to rebel against traditional values and morality in order to gain some supposedly “higher understanding” of your womanhood and an enjoyment of sexual freedom. This is a load of crap. It’s borderline evil for these progressives and abortionists to try to convince you that loose principles and a lack of self-respect are somehow empowering. Trust me. This isn’t empowerment. It’s control. And you’re better than that. 

Guys: You have the overwhelming responsibility to honor and respect the women you date, not to take advantage of their bodies or prey on their naivety just because society expects it or gives you a pass. You should hold yourself to a higher standard. This doesn’t mean you’re perfect. It doesn’t mean you won’t make mistakes. As a disclaimer: This isn’t some “holier-than-thou” sermon. Trust me, I was a high schooler once too. It’s just a simple plea: Strive with all of your strength for sexual purity and honor in your relationships. 

Sincerely, 

Josh Givens, a former teen

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A special P.S. to Ms. Denton of Seventeen Magazine: The poster doesn’t even remotely suggest that a girl will “no longer possess any of those positive character traits” should she decide to have sex. It simply encourages 1) guys to honor their dates in the area of her sexuality and 2) girls to have enough self-respect to not compromise their values [examples of these values are listed on the poster] and sexual purity just because society says they should or because their boyfriends are drunk and horny. If you’re offended by that sort of message, maybe you’re the one who needs to do some soul-searching. 

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