Fritz Klein
Encyclopedia
Fred "Fritz" Klein was an American
sex researcher
, psychiatrist
, inventor of the Klein Sexual Orientation Grid
and author
. He was also a pioneering bisexual rights
activist, who was an important figure in the modern LGBT rights movement.
, Austria
, to orthodox Jewish parents. He and his family fled to New York
when he was a child, to escape antisemitism.
He received a BA
from Yeshiva University
in 1953, and an MBA
from Columbia University
in 1955. He studied medicine at University of Bern in Switzerland
for six years, receiving his MD
in 1961. He practiced as a psychiatrist
in New York City
in the 1970s.
As a self-identified bisexual, Klein was surprised at the lack of literature on his sexuality in the New York Public Library
in 1974. He was inspired to place an advertisement in a New York City
alternative newspaper the Village Voice and founded a ground-breaking social and support group for the Bisexual Community
called Bisexual Forum.
, a multi-dimensional system for describing complex sexual orientation, similar to the "zero-to-six" scale Kinsey scale
used by Alfred Kinsey
, but measuring seven different vectors of sexual orientation and identity (sexual attractions, sexual behavior, sexual fantasies, emotional preference, social preference, lifestyle and self-identification) separately, as they relate person's past, present and ideal future.
Klein published The Bisexual Option: A Concept of One Hundred Percent Intimacy
in 1978, based on his research, the world's first real psychological study of bisexuality. He also co-authored The Male, His Body, His Sex in 1978. Klein moved to San Diego in 1982. He published Bisexualities: Theory and Research in 1986. In 1998 he founded the American Institute of Bisexuality
(AIB), also known as the Bisexual Foundation to encourage, support and assist research and education about bisexuality. Klein also founded the Journal of Bisexuality
. He remained the Journal's principal editor until his death. He published Bisexual and Gay Husbands: Their Stories, Their Words in 2001. Klein published a novel, Life, Sex and the Pursuit of Happiness in 2005.
In 2006 Klein was diagnosed with cancer
, and underwent surgery as a result. He died unexpectedly at home in San Diego, California
, from cardiac arrest
aged 73. He was survived by two brothers and his life partner, Tom Reise. Klein donated his body
to science.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sex researcher
Human sexuality
Human sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
, psychiatrist
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
, inventor of the Klein Sexual Orientation Grid
Klein Sexual Orientation Grid
The Klein Sexual Orientation Grid developed by Dr. Fritz Klein attempts to further measure sexual orientation by expanding upon the earlier Kinsey scale which categorizes sexual history from 0 to 6...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
. He was also a pioneering bisexual rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
activist, who was an important figure in the modern LGBT rights movement.
Life and career
Klein was born in ViennaVienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, to orthodox Jewish parents. He and his family fled to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
when he was a child, to escape antisemitism.
He received a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University is a private university in New York City, with six campuses in New York and one in Israel. Founded in 1886, it is a research university ranked as 45th in the US among national universities by U.S. News & World Report in 2012...
in 1953, and an MBA
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1955. He studied medicine at University of Bern in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
for six years, receiving his MD
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
in 1961. He practiced as a psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in the 1970s.
As a self-identified bisexual, Klein was surprised at the lack of literature on his sexuality in the New York Public Library
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
in 1974. He was inspired to place an advertisement in a New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
alternative newspaper the Village Voice and founded a ground-breaking social and support group for the Bisexual Community
Bisexual community
Bisexual community is a term used to describe members of the LGBT community who identify as bisexual, pansexual, "fluid", and queer-identified, as well as their allies...
called Bisexual Forum.
Klein Sexual Orientation Grid and other works
He devised the Klein Sexual Orientation GridKlein Sexual Orientation Grid
The Klein Sexual Orientation Grid developed by Dr. Fritz Klein attempts to further measure sexual orientation by expanding upon the earlier Kinsey scale which categorizes sexual history from 0 to 6...
, a multi-dimensional system for describing complex sexual orientation, similar to the "zero-to-six" scale Kinsey scale
Kinsey scale
The Kinsey scale, also called the Heterosexual-Homosexual Rating Scale, attempts to describe a person's sexual history or episodes of his or her sexual activity at a given time. It uses a scale from 0, meaning exclusively heterosexual, to 6, meaning exclusively homosexual...
used by Alfred Kinsey
Alfred Kinsey
Alfred Charles Kinsey was an American biologist and professor of entomology and zoology, who in 1947 founded the Institute for Sex Research at Indiana University, now known as the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction, as well as producing the Kinsey Reports and the Kinsey...
, but measuring seven different vectors of sexual orientation and identity (sexual attractions, sexual behavior, sexual fantasies, emotional preference, social preference, lifestyle and self-identification) separately, as they relate person's past, present and ideal future.
Klein published The Bisexual Option: A Concept of One Hundred Percent Intimacy
The Bisexual Option
The Bisexual Option, by Dr. Fritz Klein, first published in 1978, with a second edition printed in 1993 is considered one of the seminal works on bisexuality in the discipline of Queer studies-Summary:...
in 1978, based on his research, the world's first real psychological study of bisexuality. He also co-authored The Male, His Body, His Sex in 1978. Klein moved to San Diego in 1982. He published Bisexualities: Theory and Research in 1986. In 1998 he founded the American Institute of Bisexuality
American Institute of Bisexuality
The American Institute of Bisexuality, Inc., also referred to as AIB, is a charity founded on July 23, 1998 by sex researcher, psychiatrist and bisexual rights activist Fritz Klein M.D. to promote research and education about bisexuality....
(AIB), also known as the Bisexual Foundation to encourage, support and assist research and education about bisexuality. Klein also founded the Journal of Bisexuality
Journal of Bisexuality
The Journal of Bisexuality is a peer-reviewed academic journal published quarterly by the Taylor & Francis Group under the Routledge imprint...
. He remained the Journal's principal editor until his death. He published Bisexual and Gay Husbands: Their Stories, Their Words in 2001. Klein published a novel, Life, Sex and the Pursuit of Happiness in 2005.
In 2006 Klein was diagnosed with cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
, and underwent surgery as a result. He died unexpectedly at home in San Diego, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, from cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest, is the cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively...
aged 73. He was survived by two brothers and his life partner, Tom Reise. Klein donated his body
Body donation
Body donation is the donation of the whole body after death for medical research and education. For years, only medical schools accepted whole bodies for donation, but now private programs also accept donors....
to science.
External links
- American Institute of Bisexuality (bisexual.org)
- The Klein Sexual Orientation Grid (via bisexual.org)
- AIB Mourns the Death of Founder, Dr. Fritz Klein (bisexual.org, via archive.org)
- 'Who's your Daddy!' by Sheela LambertSheela LambertSheela Lambert is an American civil rights activist, and writer. She is the founder of the , co-founder of and is active in a number of bisexual rights groups including BiNet USA...
(Bi Magazine, via archive.org) - Sexual and Affectional Orientation and Identity Scales by Bobbi Keppel & Alan Hamilton for the Bisexual Resource CenterBisexual Resource CenterBisexual Resource Center is a 501 non-profit educational organization that has served the bisexual community since 1985. Originally known as the East Coast Bisexual Network, the BRC is headquartered in Boston MA and provides education about bisexual and progressive issues and support for bisexual...
(via archive.org)