Bloomington in Monroe County, Indiana — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Alfred C. Kinsey
(1894-1956)
Photographed by Daniel Barriball, June 20, 2025
1. Alfred C. Kinsey Marker
It is desperately strategic that our civilization realize something of the diversity in human sex behavior, and acquire some sympathetic understanding of that which is different from one's own.
Alfred Kinsey revolutionized the scientific study of sexual behavior and provoked a national conversation about sexuality. Joining the IU faculty in 1920, he became a recognized authority on the taxonomy of gall wasps. Turning to sex research midcareer, he offered a non-credit "Course on Marriage" in 1938 and pioneered interview techniques to gather comprehensive sex histories. With support from the National Research Council, Kinsey and his team recorded more than 18,000 sex histories. The Institute for Sex Research was incorporated in 1947, giving legal protection to data, artifact, and library collections. Kinsey and his co-workers published Sexual Behavior in the Human Male in 1948 and Sexual Behavior in the Human Female in 1953. Both books were national bestsellers and scientific landmarks.
Erected 2020 by Indiana University.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Science & Medicine. A significant historical year for this entry is 1938.
Location. 39° 9.888′ N,
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Southern Indiana. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Class of 1942 (within shouting distance of this marker); The Baier Gates (about 800 feet away, measured in a direct line); Hoagy Carmichael (approx. 0.2 miles away); Father James Martin Gilles (approx. 0.2 miles away); Rabbi Abraham Cronback (approx. 0.2 miles away); Charles Clayton Morrison
Photographed by Daniel Barriball, June 20, 2025
2. Alfred C. Kinsey Marker in context
Also see . . . About Dr. Alfred C. Kinsey. Kinsey Institute
In 1938, students petitioned Indiana University to offer a course on marriage, part of a nationwide demand for similar courses. Dr. Kinsey was asked to coordinate the new course, Marriage and Family, which was restricted to senior and married or engaged students and included biological, legal, sociological, economic, psychological, and religious perspectives on marriage. However, at the time there was little credible information to answer sex-related questions frequently raised in the course. Behind many of these questions was the same anxiety, Am I normal?(Submitted on February 8, 2026, by Daniel Barriball of Chesterton, Indiana.)
Dr. Kinsey began taking anonymized sexual histories to fill this gap in knowledge, eventually conducting more than 18,000 interviews across the United States with his research team.
We are the recorders and reporters of factsnot the judges of the behaviors we describe. - Dr. Alfred Kinsey
circa 1953
3. Dr. Alfred C. Kinsey
Credits. This page was last revised on February 23, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 23, 2025, by Daniel Barriball of Chesterton, Indiana. This page has been viewed 153 times since then and 43 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 23, 2025, by Daniel Barriball of Chesterton, Indiana. 3. submitted on February 8, 2026, by Daniel Barriball of Chesterton, Indiana. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
