Losing It... What does it mean to lose your virginity?

It is an interesting question: what does it mean to lose your virginity?

In the strictest term; you are a virgin until you've had sexual intercourse with the member of the opposite sex. But this definition leaves a lot of people out of the loop. While the social policy makers look to redefine marriage to include same sex partnerships, maybe it is time we also revisited what it means to be a virgin.

When we think of virgins, we think of "white wedding innocents" who define sex as a synonym for gender. But the fact is, the standard definition of virginity lets you get away with having a lot of different kinds of sex was still being able to call yourself a virgin. In theory, under the traditional definition of virginity, someone who is homosexual can have sex every day and still be a virgin. Someone who has oral sex regularly is also still a virgin. Does that really make sense? Something is a miss!

The whole narrow definition of virginity is in desperate need of a rewrite. Who better to do it than the first generation of new millennium teens? What does "losing your virginity" mean to you? Is it a state of mind or a specific act? Is it something that can be taken from you, or does it only count if you willingly give it away? When does "fooling around" end and "having sex" begin?

When considering "the new definition", think about these situations and ask yourself how they fit in to the meaning of virginity.

• Is someone who is raped or molested no longer a virgin?
• Is actual intercourse the only act that counts when determining ones virginity?
• If you willingly engage in other intimate sexual acts but do not have intercourse, is it fair to still consider yourself a virgin?
• How would you define losing your virginity if you were/are homosexual or bisexual?
• Is being a virgin based on your feelings, what you do, or is it a combination of both?
• Is there an emotional component to losing your virginity, meaning if you have sex but don't feel anything is different about you, does it count?
• Is the current definition of virginity, and all the social stigma attached to it, biased toward girls? Is this right?
• Does the current definition of virginity exclude homosexuals? Is this right?
• Is virginity subjective (based on how the individual views themselves and what they do) or objective (how the situation is viewed by others on the outside)?

Formulate a definition and then share it with others, let's see what we can come up with.

Virgin:

Main Entry: ¹vir·gin
Pronunciation: 'v&r-j&n
Function: noun
: a person who has not had sexual intercourse
- vir·gin·al /'v&r-j&n-^&l,'v&rj-n&l/ adjective
- vir·gin·al·ly /-E/ adverb

Sexual Intercourse:

Main Entry: sexual intercourse
Function: noun
: sexual union especially involving penetration of the vagina by the penis

* Source: Word Central Student Dictionary

Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe confessed losing his virginity at 16

Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe is clearly trying hard to ditch his boy wizard image.

The 19-year-old actor confessed in a revealing interview to losing his virginity to an older woman - whose age would raise eyebrows.

Radcliffe admitted he celebrated reaching the age of consent, 16, in the customary manner with a much older girlfriend.

But although he insisted the age difference 'wasn't ridiculous', he did say it 'would freak some people out'.

In an interview with US style bible Details, he also admitted he'd like to try his hand at playing a drag queen.

The 19-year-old actor confessed he would love to play a cross-dresser just so he could wear lots of slap and eye make up.

'I think part of me would love to play a drag queen,' he says in the September issue of Details magazine.

'Just because it would be an excuse to wear loads of eye make-up.'

Radcliffe, who has spent eight years playing Harry Potter, is soon to start a run of Equus on Broadway, New York.

He will be on stage eight times a week, with full frontal nudity, just as he did in the hit London production.

But that will be about as wild as he plans to get.

The actor , who is known for living a quiet life and not succumbing to the wild party scene said vodka and Diet Coke was his beverage of choice, because he was a 'pansy-ass civilian'.

Radcliffe also told Details that the Harry Potter phenomenon had not left him with child star angst - but confessed he suffered from the normal teen problems.

'For the most part I've been happy every single day,' he said.

'And all the times I've been unhappy, it's never been anything to do with Potter.

'It's just been the normal, boring teenage crap. Insecurities, acne - all the normal stuff.'

And although he will soon be playing psychiatric patient Alan Strang eight times a week, he said he had never spent any time on the couch himself.

'I've been pretty happy. I've got a great family,' he said.

'We're a very tight-knit group. We work very well as a team and as a tribe. I owe it to that.'

Radcliffe added that he was currently single, and does not have room for a girlfriend in his life.

'Most of my friends have been girls and I see how they are with their boyfriends and I think 'I couldn't do that,' he said.

'I just don't have the time.