Institute for Sex Research

The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction (often shortened to The Kinsey Institute) is a nonprofit research institute at Indiana University. It was established in Bloomington, Indiana in 1947. The institute’s mission is "to advance sexual health and knowledge worldwide." Research, graduate training, information services, and the collection and preservation of library, art, and archival materials are main activities carried out by The Kinsey Institute. The Institute and Kinsey himself have been the subject of much controversy, initially for engaging in open discussion of sexuality. C. Sue Carter was appointed Director by Indiana University in November 2014.

The origins of the Kinsey Institute lie in the scientific research of Indiana University professor and entomologist turned sexuality researcher, Alfred Kinsey. The 1947 creation of the nonprofit institute, originally named the Institute for Sex Research (ISR), was supported by both Indiana University president Herman B Wells and the Rockefeller Foundation, a major financial backer of Kinsey’s research. The ISR was established to protect and preserve the confidentiality of Kinsey’s data and research materials by creating a secure, permanent repository for them.

Alfred Kinsey was director of the institute from 1947 until his death in 1956. Since then, the institute has had six directors: Paul Gebhard PhD (1956–1982), June Reinisch PhD (1982–1993), Stephanie Sanders PhD (interim director, 1993–1995), John Bancroft MD (1994–2004), Julia Heiman PhD (2004–2014), and C. Sue Carter (2014-present).

Shortly after the ISR’s establishment, Kinsey’s interview based research was published in the 1948 bestselling book, Sexual Behavior in the Human Male. Its companion Sexual Behavior in the Human Female was published 5 years later. These books were popularly known as the “Kinsey Reports”. Also, in 1950, research materials being shipped to the ISR were seized by U.S. Customs thereby resulting in the federal court case U.S. vs. 31 photographs. This case continued on after Kinsey’s death, until it was finally settled in the institute’s favor in 1957. The ruling granted ISR permission to import erotic materials for research purposes.

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