Title: L1996.01 The Regina Reinhardt and Fritz Klein Bisexual Archives Papers

Dates: 1974-2005

Collection Number: L1996.01

Creator/Collector: Regina Reinhardt Fritz Klein

Extent: 5 linear feet

Repository: Lambda Archives of San Diego

Abstract: Dr. Regina Reinhardt is considered an expert in the field of bisexuality. In 1993, she authored Bisexual Women in Heterosexual Relationships, and wrote the foreword to Dr. Fritz Klein’s book The Bisexual Option, which was published later that same year. She currently serves as the managing editor for the Journal of Bisexuality and a Director of the American Institute of Bisexuality. Reinhardt was the coordinator of the Bisexual Forum, a support and discussion group for bisexuals, and was on the steering committee for the 1993 and 1998 Bi-West Conferences in San Diego. Dr. Fritz Klein is best known for his pioneering sex research and the development of the multi-dimensional Klein Sexual Orientation Grid, which measures the complexity and fluidity of sexual orientation. The Klein Grid, first published in 1978, expanded on the "zero to six" Kinsey scale. The Klein Grid measures actual sexual experiences, but also sexual attractions, fantasies, emotional preference, social preference, lifestyle and self-identification as they relate to a person's past, present and ideal future. In New York, he founded the "Bisexual Forum” in 1974, the first bi-specific organization in the world. During this period he wrote The Bisexual Option, 1978, and co-authored: Man, His Body, His Sex (Doubleday & Co.) in 1978. After moving to San Diego, Dr. Klein founded a another "Bisexual Forum" for that city in 1982, wrote several books, and founded and became Editor of The Journal of Bisexuality.

Language of Material: English

Open for research

L1996.01 The Regina Reinhardt and Fritz Klein Bisexual Archives Papers. Lambda Archives of San Diego

Dr. Regina Reinhardt is considered an expert in the field of bisexuality. Born in Germany, she came to California in 1970 and pursued a career in psychology. After receiving her bachelor’s and masters’ degrees from San Diego State University and a Ph.D. in counseling from the California School of Professional Psychology, Reinhardt entered private practice with a specialization in sexual orientation and sexual identity. In 1993, she authored Bisexual Women in Heterosexual Relationships, and wrote the foreword to Dr. Fritz Klein’s book The Bisexual Option, which was published later that same year. She currently serves as the managing editor for the Journal of Bisexuality and a Director of the American Institute of Bisexuality. Reinhardt was the coordinator of the Bisexual Forum, a support and discussion group for bisexuals, and was on the steering committee for the 1993 and 1998 Bi-West Conferences in San Diego. Reinhardt is also a sculptor. Motivated by the idea that love is possible outside of the traditional idea of “one man and one woman,” her themes for her sculptures depict alternative lifestyles. She contributed a sculpture-tile to Aids Art Alive and has since exhibited her sculptures at art exhibits for several bisexual conferences, in San Diego, Los Angeles and Rotterdam, Netherlands and at The Center in San Diego. Dr. Fritz Klein was born in Vienna, Austria in 1932. While still a small boy, he fled with his family to New York City to escape anti-Semitism and the impending war. He later received an MBA from Columbia University then left to study medicine in Switzerland at the University of Bern. Dr. Klein was a board-certified psychiatrist for 30 years in New York and San Diego until his retirement. Early in his career, he realized that there was a void in knowledge about sexual orientation, specifically in the area of bisexuality. He placed an ad in the Village Voice for a meeting that resulted in the creation in New York of the "Bisexual Forum” in 1974, the first bi-specific organization in the world. During this period he wrote The Bisexual Option, 1978, and co-authored: Man, His Body, His Sex (Doubleday & Co.) in 1978. After moving to San Diego, Dr. Klein founded a another "Bisexual Forum" for that city in 1982, wrote several books, and founded and became Editor of The Journal of Bisexuality. Klein is best known for his pioneering sex research and the development of the multi-dimensional Klein Sexual Orientation Grid, which measures the complexity and fluidity of sexual orientation. The Klein Grid, first published in 1978, expanded on the "zero to six" Kinsey scale. The Klein Grid measures actual sexual experiences, but also sexual attractions, fantasies, emotional preference, social preference, lifestyle and self-identification as they relate to a person's past, present and ideal future. Klein's research showed that these factors can change over time for an individual and vary not just between but also within groups of straight, gay and bisexual people. He concluded that people generalize from their own experiences and feelings to assume, often wrongly, that other people must experience their own sexual orientations the same way. As a result, Klein concluded sexual orientations are too complex to be broken into simple, well-defined categories. Nonetheless, he was a tireless activist especially concerning bisexual issues and community. He was known all over the world for his groundbreaking research and writing, ranging from the academic publication of the Klein Grid in The Journal of Homosexuality in 1985 to popular books and articles concerning bisexuality, as well as a novel, Life, Sex and the Pursuit of Happiness published in 2005 by Harrington Park Press. Dr. Klein founded the American Institute of Bisexuality (AIB), a public benefit charity, in 1998 to encourage, support and assist research and education about bisexuality, and served as Chairman of the Board up until his death. He was known for being outspoken, controversial and compassionate, and for his love and support of theater and the arts.

This collection contains research, articles, master’s theses, PhD dissertations, newspaper clippings, and newsletters relating to the subject of bisexuality. This collection is made up of materials compiled by Regina Reinhardt and Fritz Klein, including their published and unpublished research and handwritten notes. The dates of these materials span from 1974 to 2005. Regina Reinhardt donated the majority of the collection to Lambda Archives in 1996; an accrual to the collection containing more of Fritz Klein’s material was donated by Tom Reise in 2019. The geographic locations covered in this collection include the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, British Columbia, Amsterdam, London, and Edinburgh (Scotland).