Fritz Klein (bi-activist)

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Fritz Klein (born December 27, 1932 in Vienna , Austria ; † May 24, 2006 in San Diego , California ) was an American psychiatrist and therapist and is considered a pioneer of the bi-movement .

resume

After fleeing anti-Semitism and war in the USA, he grew up with his family in New York . He later studied medicine in Bern and graduated from Columbia University in New York.

In 1974, he founded the Bisexual Forum in New York , a self-help group for bisexuals .

In the late 1970s he moved to San Diego , California, and founded a Bisexual Forum here in 1982 . He received a lot of attention through the publication of his theses in the Journal of Homosexuality in 1985 and numerous articles on the subject of bisexuality. Worldwide lecture tours and visits to international bi-conferences increased its popularity and in some places gave the local bi-movement decisive impetus.

At the end of the 1980s, Fritz Klein founded the Journal of Bisexuality , a regular trade journal. In addition, two internet platforms originating from him promoted the cross-border discourse of bisexuals.

In 1998, he created the American Institute of Bisexuality (AIB), an institution promoting research and education in the field of bisexuality. He headed this institution until his death in 2006.

Theoretical approach

Based on the Kinsey scale , he developed the Klein Sexual Orientation Grid (also called Klein Grid ), which he first published in 1978.

Klein emphasized the multidimensional interweaving and changeability of sexual orientation in humans. He rejected the categorization of sexual orientation between zero and six introduced by Kinsey. He also questioned a separate consideration of sexual tendencies, such as “ heterosexual ”, “ homosexual ” or “ bisexual ”. Rather, he pointed out that the same sexual experiences are felt and assigned to each person individually, ie “differently”.

Participation in bi-conferences

In 1991 Fritz Klein gave the opening speech at the 1st International Bisexual Conference in Amsterdam (Netherlands). It is held by him and a small group of active players based on the model of the BiCon , which has been taking place in Great Britain since 1984 . This includes u. a. also Robyn Ochs .

1996 Participation in the 4th International Bisexual Symposium (IBIS) in Berlin with the motto "The many faces of bisexuality - variety of bisexual relationships" with u. a. Oswalt Kolle and Erwin J. Haeberle .

2001 Participation in the 1st European Bisexual Conference (EBC1) in Rotterdam (Netherlands) with the motto "Same preferences, different lifestyles".

Works

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Klein, Fritz
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Little Fred
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American psychiatrist, therapist, and bi-movement pioneer
DATE OF BIRTH December 27, 1932
PLACE OF BIRTH Vienna , Austria
DATE OF DEATH May 24, 2006
Place of death San Diego , California