Students of Virginity

Sunday's New York Times Magazine had a thought-provoking story on a Harvard student group founded on the principle of sexual abstinence...

Sunday's New York Times Magazine had a thought-provoking story on a Harvard student group founded on the principle of sexual abstinence.

The group's co-president, Janie Fredell ’09, tells the Times, "I care deeply for women's rights." She casts her choice as a marker of strength—resisting temptation and cultural pressures—rather than purity, but says, "People just don't get it. Everyone thinks we're trying to promote this idea of the meek little virgin female."

Other students and alumni who figure in the story include Leo Keliher ’10, Lena Chen ’09, Justin Murray ’07, and Sarah Kinsella ’07. Read the story here.

Related topics

You might also like

After a historic 2025-26 season, athletes eye NCAA championships.

The 2026-2027 Ledecky and Summer Undergraduate Fellows

A roundup of University news from the summer of 2026

Most popular

In 2004, a frenzy spread across Harvard Yard in days. Four billion users later, we are only just catching up.

Long-discussed reorganization includes layoffs and the end of the Dudley Community.

FAS leaders say restructuring will be complete by mid-October.

Explore More From Current Issue

Colorful word cloud with various emotions and ideas related to learning and reflection.

But it can’t replace human connection.

Three actors perform on stage, with one actor interacting closely with another, set against abstract backgrounds.

The play Spare Parts is a contemporary fable about the quest to live forever.

University Hall with steps and the John Harvard statue, surrounded by trees and a grassy lawn.

Long-discussed reorganization includes layoffs and the end of the Dudley Community.