Fritz Klein, Founder of the Bisexual Movement, Has Died.
International Bi Community in Mourning. May 26, 2006
Dr. Fritz Klein, 73, founder of the bisexual movement and inventor of The Klein Sexual Orientation Grid, died during the early morning hours of May 24, 2006.
He was a celebrated sex researcher, a psychiatrist for over 30 years, an author of several books including The Bisexual Option (published in 1978, second edition 1993) which has been used as a text in sexuality courses, editor of The Journal of Bisexuality published by Haworth Press, a keynote speaker in demand at conferences and President of the Bi Foundation which sponsors bisexual conferences and Bi Magazine.
He is most famous for inventing The Klein Sexual Orientation Grid, a multi-dimensional system for describing the complexities of sexual orientation, similar to the Kinsey scale, but measuring seven different vectors of sexual orientation and identity and allowing for change over time.
In a recent interview for Bi Magazine (http://www.bimagazine.org/nonfict/pages/feature8.html), Klein
explained how he started the Bisexual Forum, planting the first seed of what would become the bi movement: „I began it in 1974 when I could not find information about bisexuality in the New York Public Library. I put an ad in the Village Voice and had bisexuals come to my place every week to discuss their own bisexuality as well as bisexuality in general.“
The entire international bi community has felt the impact of his passing and mourns his loss. He is survived by his partner of four years, Tom Reise. For more info see Mr. Reise’s statement at
http://www.bimagazine.org/home/index.html.
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Press release 25th May 2006 www.biresource.org
In Memoriam, Fritz Klein, M.D..
Dr. Fritz Klein passed away during the early morning hours of May 24,2006. A board-certified psychiatrist for 30 years, Dr. Klein is most noted for the Klein Grid of Sexual Orientation which added another dimension to Kinsey’s sexuality scale.
His award-winning work in the bi community made him well-known. He touched lives individually as a psychiatrist; he helped communities with his research; he broke ground with his activism; he sponsored
organizations and conferences such as the International Conference on Bisexuality.
He founded and edited the Journal of Bisexuality and the American Institute of Bisexuality (now called The Bisexual Foundation).
Dr. Fritz Klein did what the bi community needed most — brought scientific research to the table showing that bisexuals exist. But he went above and beyond science and his own practice and funded
organizations to make sure he would have a lasting impact on the bi community.
Truly a renaissance man, Dr. Klein’s talents were not limited to science. The Bisexual Option, published in 1993 has been used as a text in sexuality courses. He went personal in Bisexual & Gay
Husbands: Their Words, Their Stories, offering an intimate look into the lives and thoughts of gay and bisexual men married to women. His last work, Life, Sex, and the Pursuit of Happiness was a novel.
As Pride month approaches, let us take a moment of silence on the day of each march or festival we attend to remember the impact of Dr. Klein’s work. Those wishing to learn more about his work may go to http://www.bisexual.org. To learn more about bisexuality, visit
http://www.biresource.org or attend the 9th International Conference
on Bisexuality in Toronto June 15th – 18th, 2006.
http://www.biresource.org/index.php?p=466
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