TI received harsh criticisms upon the revelation that accompanied his daughter Deyjah Harri to her gynecologist appointments to check if her hymen “is still intact.” According to TI, Deyjah signed a waiver allowing her doctor to give her father a status report on the state of her hymen so he can check if she is a virgin or not. The method does not confirm or deny that a woman lost her virginity. The hymen might not even break after a woman has sex for the first time. It can be broken in many regular ways such as riding a horse or doing gymnastics. Even when her gynecologist told TI these things, he still insisted on getting a test. A doctor’s visit is a private matter and should not be shared on the internet for his daughter to be humiliated. Deyjah liked comments on Twitter backlashing the story. These comments read “this is beyond possessive” and “this is disgusting, possessive and controlling.”
There is also a double standard for men and women as they grow up. In an episode of T.I and Tiny: Friends and Family Hustle earlier this year, TI and his wife Tiny Harris had a different reaction when they learned their 15 year old King was sexually active. He did not have to go through any tests like his sister did. Young women have the ability to make their own choices about their bodies. Parents and children should have more conversations around sexuality and sexual health in a more private and comfortable way.