Fred "Fritz" Klein (December 27, 1932 – May 24, 2006) was an Austrian-born American psychiatrist and sex researcher who studied
bisexual
Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...
s and their relationships. He was an author and editor, as well as the developer of the
Klein Sexual Orientation Grid
The Klein Sexual Orientation Grid (KSOG) developed by Fritz Klein attempts to measure sexual orientation by expanding upon the earlier Kinsey scale. Fritz Klein founded the American Institute of Bisexuality in 1998 which is continuing his work b ...
, a scale that measures an individual's
sexual orientation
Sexual orientation is an enduring pattern of romantic or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. These attractions are generall ...
. Klein believed that sexual orientation could change over the course of a lifetime and that researchers underestimated the number of men that had sexual interactions with both sexes.Pearce, Jeremy (June 4, 2006) Fritz Klein, 73, Psychiatrist Who Studied Bisexual Culture, Dies. ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' Fritz Klein founded the
American Institute of Bisexuality
The American Institute of Bisexuality (AIB) is a charity founded on July 23, 1998, by sex researcher, psychiatrist and bisexual rights activist Fritz Klein to promote research and education about bisexuality.
AIB produces the ''Journal of Bisexua ...
in 1998, which is continuing his work by sponsoring bisexual-inclusive sex research, educating the general public on sexuality, and promoting bisexual culture and community.
Life and career
Klein was born in
Vienna
en, Viennese
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, timezone_DST ...
,
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
, to
Orthodox Jew
Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on M ...
ish parents. He and his family fled to New York City when he was a child, to escape
antisemitism
Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism.
Antis ...
.Associated Press (June 6, 2006). Fritz Klein, 73, noted expert on bisexual life. ''
Newsday
''Newsday'' is an American daily newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI", and f ...
Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University is a private Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City."About YU on the Yeshiva Universit ...
in 1953, and an MBA from
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
in 1955. He studied medicine at
University of Bern
The University of Bern (german: Universität Bern, french: Université de Berne, la, Universitas Bernensis) is a university in the Switzerland, Swiss capital of Bern and was founded in 1834. It is regulated and financed by the Canton of Bern. It ...
in Switzerland for six years, receiving his MD in 1961.
Self-identifying as
bisexual
Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...
, Klein was surprised at the lack of literature on his sexuality in the
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress ...
in 1974. That year he founded the Bisexual Forum, the world's first bisexual group.
Klein Sexual Orientation Grid and other works
He devised the
Klein Sexual Orientation Grid
The Klein Sexual Orientation Grid (KSOG) developed by Fritz Klein attempts to measure sexual orientation by expanding upon the earlier Kinsey scale. Fritz Klein founded the American Institute of Bisexuality in 1998 which is continuing his work b ...
, a multi-dimensional system for describing complex sexual orientation, similar to the "zero-to-six" scale
Kinsey scale
The Kinsey scale, also called the Heterosexual–Homosexual Rating Scale, is used in research to describe a person's sexual orientation based on one’s experience or response at a given time. The scale typically ranges from 0, meaning exclusive ...
used by
Alfred Kinsey
Alfred Charles Kinsey (; June 23, 1894 – August 25, 1956) was an American sexologist, biologist, and professor of entomology and zoology who, in 1947, founded the Institute for Sex Research at Indiana University, now known as the Kinsey Instit ...
, 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. He also co-authored ''The Male, His Body, His Sex'' in 1978. Klein moved to
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
in 1982. He published ''Bisexualities: Theory and Research'' in 1986. In 1998 he founded the
American Institute of Bisexuality
The American Institute of Bisexuality (AIB) is a charity founded on July 23, 1998, by sex researcher, psychiatrist and bisexual rights activist Fritz Klein to promote research and education about bisexuality.
AIB produces the ''Journal of Bisexua ...
(AIB), also known as the Bisexual Foundation or the Bi Foundation, to encourage, support and assist research and education about bisexuality. Klein also founded the ''
Journal of Bisexuality
The ''Journal of Bisexuality'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal published quarterly by the Taylor & Francis Group under the Routledge imprint. It is the official journal of the American Institute of Bisexuality. It covers a wide range of topics ...
''. 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. On May 24 of that year, he died from a heart attack at his home in San Diego, aged 73.Staff report (June 16, 2006) Fritz Klein: Psychiatrist driven to prove the existence of bisexuality. '
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
Washington Blade
The ''Washington Blade'' is a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) newspaper in the Washington metropolitan area. The ''Blade'' is the oldest LGBT newspaper in the United States and third largest by circulation, behind the ''Philadelphi ...
San Francisco Chronicle
The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. de ...
'' He was survived by two brothers and his life partner, Tom Reise. Klein donated his body to science.
Sheela Lambert
Sheela Lambert (born 1956 in New York City) is an American bisexual activistSexual and Affectional Orientation and Identity Scales by Bobbi Keppel & Alan Hamilton for the
Bisexual Resource Center
The Bisexual Resource Center (BRC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, that has served the bisexual community since 1985. Originally known as The East Coast Bisexual Network, it incorporated ...