Please send your questions for publication to prudence@slate.com.

Dear Prudence,

I have a problem of when (if ever) to let people know that my boyfriend and I are not "doing it." "Crispin" and I have been dating monogamously for over two years, and I know he plans to ask me to marry him in the spring. We relocated across the country together and are living in the same apartment—even sleeping together on the same futon. There's a lot of snuggling and cuddling, but nothing Prudence would blush to see. We are both 24 years old. He has had sex before; I have not. Why are we remaining pure as the driven snow? It is not for religious reasons. The main reason: Crispin has a little problem that Bob Dole could probably help him out with, if you get my drift. But also, apart from the equipment failure, there is an almost complete lack of sexual interest on his part. (He says he can't feel anything going on down there. C'est la vie.)

This has caused problems in our relationship in the past, but we have worked through most of them, and I am content with things as they are. He's not gay, wasn't abused as a child, and I'm very attractive (or so he tells me, often). He's just one of the 2 percent of men who have no interest in sex. Of course everyone I talk to assumes that Crispin and I are shagging the night away. Although I've told my (very religious) father that Crispin and I are living like "brother and sister," he doesn't believe me. He refuses to mention my boyfriend and pretends I am living alone. I know what happens in the privacy of our apartment is our business, but I sometimes get frustrated with people assuming things. When the "girls" start dishing about their sex lives, it's difficult for me to deflect their questions. (I don't want to betray Crispin's lack of virility.) My relatives assume I'm in a state of mortal sin. Are these assumptions simply the price I must pay for living with my sweetie?

—Dating One of Nature's Monks

Dear Date,

The short answer is yes. But just between you and Pru, there are numerous problems here. Your boyfriend is making like Flaccido Domingo and says he doesn't particularly mind. Your father thinks you are "sinning," while your girlfriends think you're holding out on them. You are clearly getting the name without playing the game … not to mention contemplating a life of married celibacy.

Prudie does not know where you got the 2 percent figure. Perhaps you're thinking of reduced-fat milk. You do mention some issues that are worth more thought, however. It is your call as to whether or not you are "content with things." Sex is not the be-all and end-all, and many people in fact have little interest in that department. If you want to have children, however, you may find yourself in a marriage that requires a turkey baster. As for him having "no feeling down there ... c'est la vie," Prudie does not buy the "c'est la vie" part. Rather, the lack of sensation suggests "une problème physiologique" ... one you both may want to look into, perhaps with an endocrinologist. The lack of interest is another matter. If you are committed to this man, then put out of your mind what other people might be thinking or assuming. That part has no importance. What does matter is your acceptance (or not) of the realities of this relationship.

—Prudie, chastely

Dear Prudence,