The Klein Sexual Orientation Grid

The Klein Sexual Orientation Grid (KSOG) is a process for helping a person understand their sexual orientation in a more detailed and descriptive manner than previous methods. Dr. Klein introduced KSOG in his book The Bisexual Option.

The KSOG is shown below. The KSOG sets out the seven component variables as listed in the grid rows A through G down the left side. The three columns across the top indicated three different points in time at which these variables can be recorded: the person’s past, present and their ideal. It is important to remember that a persons “ideal” may not be their future AND that a persons “ideal” may change over time due to many factors and experiences in their live present, past and yet to come.

The KSOG provides a method to take into consideration the fact that many people change their attitudes, attractions and desires over time. Where a person may be positioned in the KSOG today may not necessarily be where they were in the past or where they would like to be “ideally” in the future. Sexual orientation is considered dynamic and fluid. To attempt to understand human sexual orientation, attractions and desires one must look beyond linear scales.

The next step in developing one’s understanding of their sexual orientation is bridging the gap between one’s present positions in the KSOG and one’s “ideal” positions to enable the “future” and ”ideal” to be closely matched.  But, this is another workshop J.

Time Variables:

Past: Your life up to 12 months ago.
Present: The most recent 12 months
Ideal: What do you think you would eventually like?  Ideal may not be future

Seven Variables:

A.  Sexual Attraction: To who are you sexually attracted?

B.  Sexual Behavior: With who have you actually had sex?

C.  Sexual Fantasies: Who are your sexual fantasies about? (They may occur during masturbation, daydreaming, as part of real life, or purely in your imagination.)

D.  Emotional Preference: Emotions influence, if not define, the actual physical act of love. Do you love and like only members of the same sex, only members of the other sex, or members of both sexes.

E.  Social Preference: Social preference is closely allied with but often different from emotional preference. With members of which sex do you socialize?

(Different reference point descriptions are used for the remaining aspects.)

F.  Lifestyle Preference: What is the sexual identity of the people with whom you socialize? (Add "All" as a choice for each scale on this card.)

G.  Sexual Identity: How do you think of yourself?

References:

Klein, Fritz; The Bisexual Option; The Harrington Park Press;  New York, NY; 1993

Edited by Luke Turco,  adapted and used with permission from:  Keppel, Bobbi and Hamilton, Alan, “Using the Klein Scale to Teach about Sexual Orientation”, The Bisexual Resource Center, Boston, MA