Kinsey in France: A Debate about Feminine and Masculine Sexualities

The publication in France of the two Kinsey reports, in 1948 and 1953, did not get as great a response as in the United States. At that time, sexology was only beginning and the Cold War did not offer a favorable climate. However, the reports opened the discussion mainly between psychologists and activists of the sexual liberation movement. This debate offers the opportunity to analyze the gender theories about sexuality, the main two controversial points being women's sexuality and male homosexuality.