Q&A: Where do I fall on the Kinsey Scale?
QUESTION:How does one know where he or she falls on the hetrosexual/homosexual rating scale? Is there a test that is available?
ANSWER: The "Kinsey Scale" that you mention is defined like this: 0=exclusively heterosexual behavior and 6=exclusively homosexual behavior. 3's are equally hetero/homosexual. 1's have 'incidental' homosexual contacts and 5's have incidental heterosexual contacts. 2's are primarily heterosexual with some deliberate homosexual experiences and desire, and 4's are the reverse.
Kinsey found through thousands of interviews that men and women participated in a range of sexual behaviors, and that sexual identity for some could change over time. For example, some people had homosexual experiences early in their sexual lives, and some people only had sex with the opposite gender, but their fantasy life was mainly homosexual.
This scale has been debated often since Kinsey's original data collection in the 1940's. One criticism is that there are other dimensions besides behavior and sexual fantasies, the two components that Kinsey used to fashion his scale, that may determine an individual's sexual orientation. There's attraction, emotional preference, social preference, and lifestyle, to name a few ways that people identify themselves. Also, there's the past (I did then but don't now), the present, and the 'ideal' (I'd like to but…). You can read more about the scale on the Kinsey Institute website here.
Originally published 11/99.
Kinsey Confidential
