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The modern study of sexuality was dominated by the medical perspective before 1940. Kinsey, a biologist, brought to the study of sexual expression a taxonomic approach-that is, an interest in classification and description. His initial efforts were supported by an exploratory grant in 1941 and by the administration at Indiana University. Kinsey developed his interview methodology and conducted over 8,000 interviews himself His results challenged many widely held beliefs about sexuality including the belief that women were not sexual. His work contributed to both the feminist and the gay/lesbian liberation movements. He was determined to make the study of sex a science, and in large part he succeeded.
The more I study the development of modern sexuality, the more I believe in the importance and significance of Alfred Kinsey. Although his research was on Americans, it came to be a worldwide source of information about human sexuality and set standards for sex research everywhere. In America and much of the world, his work was a decisive factor in changing attitudes toward sex. Within the field of sexuality, he reoriented the field, moving it away from the medical model and medical dominance, to one encompassing a variety of disciplines and approaches. In short, his work has proved revolutionary.
To understand what Kinsey wrought, one must look at the field of sexuality when Kinsey began his studies. One must also look briefly at Kinsey as an individual to understand his accomplishments.
SEX RESEARCH, 1890-1940
The modern study of sexuality began in the nineteenth century, and these early studies were dominated by physicians. It was assumed that since physicians were the experts on body functions, they should be the experts regarding sexual activities. In a sense, this was a divergence from the past, when sexuality had been regarded almost entirely as a moral issue. And although there were still moral issues involved, physicians were also judged as qualified to speak on these issues as well. Although few physicians had any specialized knowledge on most sexual topics, except perhaps for sexually transmitted diseases, this did not prevent them from speaking with authority on most aspects of human sexuality.
Havelock Ellis, one of the dominant figures in promoting sexual knowledge in the first third of the twentieth century, said...