Bet you thought I’d be writing about purity balls or promise rings.
But not this time. The Chicago Tribune last week had a fascinating story about women in northern Albania who take an oath of lifelong virginity in exchange for the right to live as men. They are able to choose professions and an independence that would otherwise would have been off-limits to them because of their sex, but the sacrifices are obviously great.
Their history is the focus of the documentary “Sworn Virgins,” created by Albanian journalist and author Elvira Dones, who now lives in Rockville, Md.
The news story, by Joshua Zumbrun, was reprinted from the Washington Post, where you’ll also find a two-minute video clip. …
