Lets face it, with the exception of Angelina Jolie and perhaps Brad Pitt, nobody is perfect. Despite this salient truth we get so picky when choosing our future partners - 'Oh, she's too fat', 'Neh, he's too short', Argh! she's too hairy', 'God-no! he's got man-boobs'…You may not have said any of these statements but I bet you were thinking of something similar or even worse - shame on us. Now you've got to be asking for a lot if you expect every person you date to be wearing a chastity belt (I seriously hope this is still not being practised in some lost civilization). In the 21st century where there's a growing concern about the effectiveness of sex education (or the sheer lack of it), finding a compatible partner whose not yet been de-flowered could be like former President Bush trying to find Osama Bin Laden - okay, maybe not that hard.
Before you start brainstorming about where you can find this (rare) breed lets ponder on how big a deal it is to marry a virgin. If you want to ultimately be the first to 'pop the cherry' then it would be a big deal. Depending on your religious orientation (Christianity not mincing its words in the slightest), it's an even bigger deal if your prospective partner is carrying condoms or morning after pills. Maybe it's a bit of an ego-crusher if you know that the person you're dating has experienced something you haven't - kinda like being refused a U.S Visa whilst having to go through the excruciating ordeal of listening to your friends brag about their adventures in New York City.
What if you don't know if your love interest is being honest about his/her AYV status (Are You Virgin status). If your relationship is built on trust you're going to have take his/her word for it, though some girls would argue that most men are dogs (Obviously not because men could be great companions but because after humping anything with a pulse they could carry diseases far more serious than Rabies). We like to think that those without a sexual past are as clean as a whistle and that may well be true…just don't plan your first romantic date to be a trip to the clinic for 'his & her' blood tests - not cool.
Some don't care much about marrying ex-virgins. It's usually either not a big deal or there is a willingness to ignore the past and concentrate on the present. Though a little background research wouldn't hurt (and I don't mean snooping around your partner's drawers, magazine/DVD collection, website favourites, etc) but their close friends could be very informative (without necessarily having to ply them with alcohol or freebies). Just hang around them long enough and they're bound to slip up sooner or later if there are any skeletons in the closet.
Finally, I recall a gentleman who had fallen for a prostitute in the classic movie Pretty Woman. He could have had any woman he wanted but he had Cupid's arrow stuck deep in his buttocks - Love is such a mysterious phenomenon. But if you're thinking 'Nah, I still want to know where to find celibate men and women' then I suggest you try a Monastery or a Convent…though I have a strong feeling they won't be saying 'I do' in a hurry :D
By T. Anthony