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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Carter Sherman

These gen Zers preach ‘chastity before marriage’ at the Jersey shore. What are they so afraid of?

Illustration of a crowded, lively boardwalk scene at night, filled with people in beachwear dancing, drinking, and hanging out. In the center, two modestly dressed young adults look out of place and uneasy, one holding flyers and the other with a cross necklace, surrounded by confident, scantily clad partiers. Colorful lights from amusement park rides and food stands glow in the background.

By the time the young man in red swim shorts sprinted up the beach to Chiara MacGillivray and Jon Sechuk, the two twentysomethings had yet to convince a single Jersey shore partier to join their crusade for chastity.

In fairness, convincing young people to remain “chaste” until marriage is a hard sell at the best of times. And the members of Generation Life knew that Saturday in June at the Jersey shore – a stretch of sand south of Atlantic City so renowned for horniness, drunkenness and reality TV show antics that its very name has become a synonym for hedonism – was not exactly a good time for chastity. It may have even been the worst possible time.

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