Warning - feminist ranting: wherein I go all controversial and rail again chastity

So I was listening to a show I really like - Tell Me More - that now airs at 8 p.m. on KERA 90.1. I like it because it's intelligent and easy to follow, doesn't insult me by assaulting my auditory senses, and because it's put together from an African American perspective, which is sometimes hard for me to hear but always enlightening.
There were a group of women being interviewed on the Wednesday show and they were all living chaste lives. Yes.
So I wondered, how is this news-worthy? Why would any society want to discuss this? Is this some sort of trend?
Apparently, they all blog/write about this choice they've made. So now I'm going to blog about it too. I'm going to make a few assumptions along the way, since I kind of have to - not knowing them personally. My first assumption is that they are all attention seekers with self-esteem issues.
But wait. That might not be fair. I should say that half the women in this group were virgins (saving themselves for marriage, don't you know) and the other half were women who had simply outgrown their mis-spent youths.
The virgins were also divided, between the religiously motivated and the martyrs.
The most plausible of these women's positions, was that of a former Hip Hop Music executive who said she was tired of just being a piece of meat. She wanted to get to know people. She wanted to be considered for things other than her sexuality. And while that might seem reasonable, sexuality and objectification are not the same thing. All sex is not a one-way street wherein the male of the species tries to conquer the unwilling female. All sex outside of marriage is not devoid of romance. Nor is it easy. Chastity in this instance also violates another of my principles, that true grace and strength lie in flexibly adapting to the given situation without compromising oneself. As such, hard and fast rules are for the weak and small-minded.
Virginity is another problem altogether. It's not just that it's a horrible state to be in for a biologically healthy adult woman, but it's not about sexuality either. I know of women who will have oral and anal sex for years but claim their virginity is intact. No people, virginity is about power. It's about control and possession and demeaning women by assuming that it's the only thing that makes them valuable. Talk about being turned into a one-dimensional object.
Many more-intelligent and well-spoken people have made this point. But I have to say, women are stronger, safer, more valued and more powerful when they claim and control their own sexuality.
Now, a long time ago I heard a scholar talk about the historical accuracy of the "virgin birth" in the bible. It was his contention that women of that era were not married until they had proven by conceiving a child that they were not barren. A man couldn't afford a barren wife.
So, Mary wasn't necessarily a virgin at all, she was simply unmarried. Still, there are religions where virginity until marriage is the practice and as such, if those are your religious views, you have the right to them. However religion, I've heard said, is like a penis. I'm glad you like yours, please don't cram it down my throat unless I ask.
Above, some not necessarily well-connected thoughts on the subject. Suffice it to say, I think that these women are misguided and they are weak. But more importantly, I think they do women everywhere a disservice. Slavery is not good for slaves. I, for one, am not willing to go back to the dark ages. I am not willing to put artificial limits on being human. And I am not willing to give anyone voice who would or does advocate for something so hurtful to self and to sex and to society.

The fact that these women were African American is a whole 'nother level of ironic I can't even go into today