What Is The Kinsey Scale? The Sexuality Spectrum's Uses & History

Charts and scales can help better explain many things in life, and sexuality is no different. One of the most popular scales used to understand sexuality is the Kinsey Scale, which was created to help describe a person's sexual orientation. Though not without its limitations, this scale can be a useful way for some people to make sense of their sexual orientation. 

The Kinsey Scale is a visual representation of sexuality along a spectrum ranging from exclusively heterosexual to exclusively homosexual. Originally called the Heterosexual-Homosexual Rating Scale, the Kinsey Scale was created by Drs. Alfred Kinsey, Wardell Pomeroy, and Clyde Martin and first introduced in their book Sexual Behavior in the Human Male in 1948.

That said, today the scale is considered to have some limitations, both in terms of its ability to accurately represent the vast array of experiences of sexuality and because it excludes nonbinary folks. Not everyone will feel like they fit into one of these seven categories, and that's OK.

Here's what each label represents:

(Note: Some versions of the scale use the term "slightly" instead of "incidentally," and "mostly" instead of "predominantly." So for example: "Mostly heterosexual and only slightly homosexual.")

"People did think in binary, either/or terms in those days to a significant degree," she notes but adds, "Among other things, the Kinsey scale illustrates how significant bisexuality is since everything in the middle of the scale could be called bisexual."

We know much more today about sexual orientation, attraction, and human sexuality, and so while the Kinsey Scale was groundbreaking for its time, it also has its limitations. Like everything else, it has its pros and cons.

The Kinsey Scale does an excellent job of debunking the "either/or" thinking surrounding sexuality. It was the first scientific scale to put forward the idea that sexuality is a continuum and isn't limited to being just heterosexual or homosexual. As Queen points out, the scale shows that sexual orientation can exist on a spectrum, and much of the spectrum thinking we do today—the ace spectrum, for instance—owes a lot to this conceptualization. 

"It really helped make bisexuality visible, as well as helping bring homosexuality out of the closet. In my day (the '70s, when I came out), the gay movement very openly acknowledged its debt to Kinsey," Queen says.

Queen says the Kinsey Scale can help a person (or a clinician working with people around sexuality issues) understand their own or their client's sexual experience, help them visualize their sexual orientation if they find it helpful to do so, and show that this experience is on a continuum and there may be room for them to explore different options than they have so far.

The scale wasn't intentionally meant to exclude these groups of people, Queen notes; it is in many ways an artifact of its time, and language to describe gender diversity was simply in its infancy at the time the scale was developed. 

According to Queen, Kinsey didn't think it was appropriate to use orientation terms as anything but adjectives—he did not want us to use these words to define ourselves, but so far he has lost that battle with history, she says. "Still, when we think about why he felt so strongly, it might point to the fluidity of identity, or the way people can engage in all sorts of behavior that doesn't match their 'label,' and when we look at our history of behaviors and attractions, those are really useful insights."

The Kinsey Scale focuses on sexual attraction without distinguishing between sexual and romantic orientations, sex and relationship coach Azaria Menezes points out. For some people, there's a difference between who we're sexually attracted to and who we're romantically attracted to, but this isn't accounted for on the scale. 

"Like, what does it mean to be 'incidentally' homosexual or heterosexual? Where do I fall on the Kinsey Scale if I'm not really heterosexual but also definitely not homosexual? What if I feel lovey-dovey feelings toward pretty much any gender, but only sometimes feel sexually attracted to one gender?" 

Some people don't desire to label their sexual orientation or attraction at all, Menezes points out. Not everyone feels comfortable being identified as a number on a scale, and with only seven points, the options are limited. And since there is so much new information when it comes to sexuality and seemingly infinite ways to experience sexual attraction, the Kinsey Scale may not quite "fit" anymore.

Today, there are several other scales that try to present a visual representation of sexual orientation and identity. Two of the more popular and inclusive ones are the Klein Sexual Orientation Grid and the Storms Sexuality Axis.

If you do find yourself identifying with the parameters set on the scale, Menezes suggests "taking what you love and leaving the rest."