The Kinsey Reports were written in the 1940s and 50s which found that there are more than the presumed 3 levels of sexuality (
straight,
bisexual, or gay), but that there are a multitude of sexual orientations. The research shocked the general public and the findings caused shock and outrage, both because they challenged conventional beliefs about sexuality and because they discussed subjects that had previously been taboo. The belief that heterosexuality and
abstinence were both ethical and statistical norms had
never before been seriously challenged.
The Kinsey scale ranked individuals from 0 to 6, with 0 being completely
heterosexual and 6 completely homosexual. A 1 was considered predominantly heterosexual with only incidental homosexual experiences, a 2 mostly heterosexual with more serious homosexual experiences, a 3 completely equal homosexual and heterosexual experiences, and so on. Kinsey reported that most American males fell in the 1 to 2 range of the scale and that a large majority appeared to be at least somewhat
bisexual (in the 1 to 5 range). The study also reported that 10 percent of American males surveyed were mostly or completely homosexual for at least part of their adult lives (in the 5 to 6 range).
The first report (1948) was written about their research on male sexuality and the second report (1953) was written about female sexuality research. The first report was the most astounding and shocking to the public. By the
time the second report was published, Kinsey had lost a lot of
respect therefore the research wasn't held with nearly as much regard.