Age of Consent
Sex Education Required by State
Sex Education Type
Medically Accurate Content Required
LGBTQ+ Inclusive
Consent Education Taught
Adult Entertainment
Virginia's age of consent is 18. There is a close-in-age provision: under Virginia Code Section 18.2-371, sexual activity with a 15-, 16-, or 17-year-old is a Class 1 misdemeanor rather than a felony if the defendant is less than three years older.
Sex education is required in Virginia schools. Instruction must emphasize abstinence, though contraception may be discussed in some districts. There is no requirement for medical accuracy in the comprehensive sense, and the state has not mandated LGBTQ+ inclusion in sex education. Virginia's political environment has been shifting toward more progressive policies in recent years, particularly in Northern Virginia, but the sex education curriculum remains more conservative than neighboring Maryland and Delaware.
Virginia's adult entertainment environment is moderate. Northern Virginia and Richmond have adult entertainment businesses regulated through local licensing. The state has not pursued aggressive restriction campaigns. Virginia's regulatory posture reflects its political transition from a reliably conservative Southern state to a more divided one, with Northern Virginia pulling toward permissiveness and rural Virginia maintaining conservative social norms.
Age 18. Sex ed required but quality varies. State moving more progressive but curriculum still emphasizes abstinence.
Similar States
More on Virginia
Discussions
- Can we talk about McGuire voting against the age of ...
- Virginia recently submitted a bill that would allow minors ...
- r/Virginia - Youngkin implements K-12 transgender policy ...
- Anyone else think it's strange that the US has different ages ...
- These new Virginia laws are now in effect (July 1 2024)
- Only these 8 states require sex education classes ...
- Virginia Governor wants to force teachers to out students ...
- Virginia Democrat introduces bill to allow minors to obtain birth ...
- Virginia school board adopts restrictive anti-trans policy ...
- Age of consent needs to change : r/offmychest
In the News
- State Laws on Gender-Affirming Care - FindLawMar 12
- Virginia Secures Birth Control Access As Other Southern States Eye Abortion Pill Manufacturers - PatchApr 10
- Disability Reproductive Equity Agenda: Protecting the Reproductive Rights of Disabled People in 2025 and Beyond - Center for American ProgressOct 28
- So-Called “Parental Rights” Bills and Their Threats to Reproductive Justice - Physicians for Reproductive HealthJul 11
- Midyear 2024 State Policy Trends: Many US States Attack Reproductive Health Care, as Other States Fight Back - Guttmacher InstituteJun 18
Full Virginia profile
Taxes, gun laws, gambling, nudism, nightlife and more.
Sources: NCSL, Guttmacher Institute, SIECUS State Profiles, Wikipedia "Ages of consent in the United States". Laws change — verify current status with official sources.