Alfred Kinsey Biography

Alfred Charles Kinsey was an American professor, biologist and sexologist who is credited to have ushered in the “Sexual Revolution” through his extensive research on human sexuality. He was a bold and outspoken researcher who neither shied away from studying taboo topics nor was he afraid of kindling controversies with his findings. A professionally qualified biologist, his initial interest was in studying gall wasps. He did his doctoral thesis on the species and published ‘The Gall Wasp Genus Cynips: A Study of the Origin of Species’. In spite of becoming an expert in this field he felt that prestigious positions evaded him and thus changed the course of his career. His interest in human sexuality stemmed from studying the mating behavior of gall wasps and also from his own sexual feelings and experiences. He began his research on human sexuality during the 1930s—a time when the conservative American society considered sex to be a taboo subject. But he was undeterred by the public response and conducted thousands of interviews to collect data for his studies. When he revealed his findings in a book, the whole nation, especially the religious fraternity was shocked. He also created much controversy because of his open marriage and his sexual relations with other men.