Planned Parenthood warns T.I. about his parenting of 18-year-old daughter

During a recent episode of the Ladies Like Us podcast, the “About The Money” artist revealed the absurd lengths he goes to in order to confirm his daughter, Deyjah Harris, has not yet had sex.

Not long after a collective sentiment of disgust echoed throughout the internet on Wednesday, Planned Parenthood issued a thread of tweets hours after the Atlanta artist’s troubling statement. The family planning organization addressed the falsities surrounding hymens and the concept of virginity.

“Some people just naturally have hymens that are more open. And many other activities besides sex can stretch your hymen — like riding a bike, doing sports, or putting something in your vagina (like a tampon or finger). Once your hymen is stretched open, it can’t grow back.”

Many on social media were not only appalled by T.I.’s comments, but for his overstepping of boundaries when it comes to his daughter’s medical information, which, now that she’s 18, requires a disclosure consent form.

While “virginity testing” is a custom across different cultures, CBS reports it was denounced in 2018 by the World Health Organization, U.N. Human Rights and U.N. Women. The WHO explained that the method of inspecting a female’s hymen has no clinical or scientific basis and is a disregard for women’s or girls’ well-being.

Original story (November 6, 2019) 

On an episode of the Ladies Like Us podcast, hosted by Nazanin Mandi, wife to singer Miguel, and makeup artist Nadia Moham, the musician shared that he goes with his daughter, Deyjah Harris, to her gynecologist appointments.

During the episode, the hosts questioned the “Whatever You Like” artist about his parenting style to which he answered that children often end up thanking their parents for being stricter and not letting them do certain things. The conversation led to the topic of having the sex talk with your kids. T.I. then admitted the rather appalling way he keeps tabs on his daughter.

“Have I? This is the thing. Deyjah’s 18, just graduated high school now and she’s attending her first year of college, figuring it out for herself,” he said. “And yes, not only have we had the conversation, we have yearly trips to the gynecologist to check her hymen.”

He also said he goes because he wants to hear the results of the pelvic exam for himself.

He explained the day after his daughter’s 16th birthday he left a note on the door that read “Gyno. Tomorrow. 9:30.” When the doctor came in, he asked Harris whether or not she would like to give permission for her father to have access to her medical records.

“He’s like, ‘You know sir, I have to, in order to share information’ — I’m like, ‘Deyjah they want you to sign this so we can share information. Is there anything you wouldn’t want me to know? See doc? No problem.’” T.I. said.

The doctor did inform him that there are other ways for a hymen to break.

“So I say, ‘Look doc, she don’t ride no horses, she don’t ride no bike, she don’t play no sports. Just check the hymen please and give me back my results expeditiously,’” he said he told the medical expert.

“I will say as of her 18th birthday, her hymen is still intact.”

“Think of the hymen like tissue paper,” Alexandra Eisler, a health and sex educator from Healthy Teen Network, told the magazine. “It can stretch or tear or easily rub away.”

Psychology Today also reports that by adolescence, hymens are usually largely worn away, so there’s no way virginity can be proven.

The Atlanta native also insisted virginity will make it harder for her daughter to attract men.

“They’re no fun. Who wants a virgin?” he asked. “Like really? All that work.”

When news broke of T.I’s unconventional parenting style, the internet had a lot to say.

“I don’t want any of my children to have sex before it’s time for them, but who’s to say when it’s time?” he said. “I will definitely feel different about a boy than I will about a girl. And that’s just the God’s honest truth. I don’t think there’s any father out there who’ll tell you any different.”