# How to interpret the Kinsey Scale of Sexual Orientation **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 29, 2002, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-interpret-the-kinsey-scale-of-sexual-orientation/145558 "2002-12-29T22:37:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ffabris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a87d85/32.png) [@ffabris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ffabris)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-interpret-the-kinsey-scale-of-sexual-orientation/145558/21 "2002-12-31T00:01:17Z")
**Quonk** , I don’t think you _need_ a label. Be who you are, do what you feel comfortable doing - even if that implies doing nothing at all. If gay sex freaked you, that _might_ be due to external factors, like fear of being gay, or something along those lines. ---
**Author:** ![kimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f0a364/32.png) [@kimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kimera)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-interpret-the-kinsey-scale-of-sexual-orientation/145558/22 "2002-12-31T03:15:00Z")
\*\* > [@](#): > > If gay sex freaked you, that _might_ be due to external factors, like fear of being gay, or something along those lines. \*\* I agree. I really do believe that if homosexual encounters were more accepted by society, then more people would find themselves in the 2-4 range. I think most people’s aversion to homosexuality comes not from their natural inclinations, but rather from society. ---
**Author:** ![mandielise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/58956e/32.png) [@mandielise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mandielise)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-interpret-the-kinsey-scale-of-sexual-orientation/145558/23 "2002-12-31T16:33:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TaxGuy \* > \*\*If your boyfriend is anywhere near the apparent mean on this issue, it ought to take anywhere from 0.3 to 0.4 seconds of coaxing to get him to agree with your proposition. \*\* Oh he wants to try it to - the thing is, we have very different tastes in women. Plus, we’re both WAY too shy to ask a girl (that is, if we ever agree) if she’s into that sort of thing. Also, I consider myself bicurious… that is to say I’m VERY attracted to women (perhaps moreso than men), but I’ve only been with men. I’ve never had a strong emotional link with a woman, and without that, the physical (to me) isn’t worth squat! Where do I rate y’all? Be brutal! ---
**Author:** ![JimOfAllTrades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@JimOfAllTrades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JimOfAllTrades)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-interpret-the-kinsey-scale-of-sexual-orientation/145558/24 "2002-12-31T17:31:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mandielise \* > \*\*Also, I consider myself bicurious… that is to say I’m VERY attracted to women (perhaps moreso than men), but I’ve only been with men. I’ve never had a strong emotional link with a woman, and without that, the physical (to me) isn’t worth squat! > > Where do I rate y’all? Be brutal! \*\* I’m no expert (I started this thread because I was confused about how this was supposed to work) but I’ll give it a shot. Assuming I’ve correctly gleaned my facts from your post, we have: No actual same sex contact – 0 Medium to high physical attraction – 3.5 Low (but more than 0) emotional attachment – 1 Puts you somewhere around a 1.5. But since I would give more weight to the attraction and emotional pieces, I’d say 2 or so. ---
**Author:** ![cowgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@cowgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cowgirl)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-interpret-the-kinsey-scale-of-sexual-orientation/145558/25 "2002-12-31T18:05:26Z")
bicurious female checking in … i’m with Mandielise on this one - I have only had experience with men but that’s because I have never had the chance to be with women ! If an opportunity ever came up … would that change my ranking? If Mandielise and her boyfriend met a hot and horny lady at a party tonight, would she be bumped up to a 3 tomorrow? having said that, i’m a bit cynical about the Kinsey scale. Why is it ‘gay’ to have sex with another woman, but not gay to think about it? … or is it? Why is my ranking determined by my situation (ie never having had the opportunity)? hm. I guess this could turn into an interesting GD … ---
**Author:** ![cowgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@cowgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cowgirl)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-interpret-the-kinsey-scale-of-sexual-orientation/145558/26 "2002-12-31T18:05:47Z")
“bicurious” female checking in … i’m with Mandielise on this one - I have only had experience with men but that’s because I have never had the chance to be with women ! If an opportunity ever came up … would that change my ranking? If Mandielise and her boyfriend met a hot and horny lady at a party tonight, would she be bumped up to a 3 tomorrow? having said that, i’m a bit cynical about the Kinsey scale. Why is it ‘gay’ to have sex with another woman, but not gay to think about it? … or is it? Why is my ranking determined by my situation (ie never having had the opportunity)? hm. I guess this could turn into an interesting GD … ---
**Author:** ![whiteboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d6d6ee/32.png) [@whiteboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiteboy)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-interpret-the-kinsey-scale-of-sexual-orientation/145558/27 "2002-12-31T18:17:47Z")
Umm… I seem to be increasingly often saying to myself “that dude is pretty good looking”, but IMHO thats rooted in some self esteem issues, there’s probably people here that could sort it out better. On the other hand, I can’t watch guys in like a movie or recent music videos kiss, or anything of the nature, my face scrunches up and I can’t take it. Do I qualify as a 0 or what? ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-interpret-the-kinsey-scale-of-sexual-orientation/145558/28 "2002-12-31T19:25:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by cowgirl \* > \*\*Why is it ‘gay’ to have sex with another woman, but not gay to think about it? … or is it? Why is my ranking determined by my situation (ie never having had the opportunity)? hm. I guess this could turn into an interesting GD … \*\* Fantasies and desires do count. So I’d surmise you aren’t a 0. If you have a fairly strong desire, even though you haven’t acted on it, you may be a 3 or more. My ex-wife thought she was a 1 until she actually had sex with a woman. She divorced me and now considers herself a 6. ---
**Author:** ![mandielise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/58956e/32.png) [@mandielise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mandielise)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-interpret-the-kinsey-scale-of-sexual-orientation/145558/29 "2003-01-01T01:50:03Z")
cowgirl, I think we’re both at least 2.5. So what if we’ve never had the opportunity - how can I be considered strictly heterosexual if my favorite porn is fem-fem and I get more excited about Elizabeth Hurley than George Clooney? ---
**Author:** ![jack\_ss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c77e96/32.png) [@jack\_ss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jack_ss)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-interpret-the-kinsey-scale-of-sexual-orientation/145558/30 "2003-01-01T21:29:14Z")
OK, help me out here. I had a two gay experiences as a drunk 19-year-old soldier. That was half my life ago. I enjoy looking at attractive men, but they don’t arouse me sexualy. I can say the same thing for my dog, my flower garden, my favorite mountain. Something about the line between sensual & erotic? It’s easier for me to tell a male friend that I love him than it is to tell a woman I’m having sex with the same thing, even if the emotional bond is similar. Am I a 1? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-interpret-the-kinsey-scale-of-sexual-orientation/145558.md?page=1)