Kinsey Institute chronicles sex from A to Z

Sue Johanson of "Talk Sex with Sue" fame has nothing on Robert Francoeur's knowledge of sexuality and interactions from around the world. \nFrancoeur, a Fairleigh Dickinson University Emeritus Professor of Biology, has come across everything from African traditions in which a widow must marry her deceased husband's oldest brother, South Korean hymen reconstruction and the subordinate role of women in many cultures where "female orgasm is either unknown or feared as a prelude to insanity."\nIn 1992 Francoeur, an author of more than 30 books, started compiling a cross-section of issues related to sexuality from cultures around the world. By the time he finished, he had created the Continuum Complete International Encyclopedia of Sexuality. He planned for it to be a "simple project" with help from 20 of his colleagues from around the world. The project turned into a 1,400-page sex encyclopedia with input from 280 sexual scholars spanning 62 countries. \nNow, the whole world has access to these important resources thanks to a partnership with the Kinsey Institute. During the last year, the institute and Francoeur, with help from others, worked to get the publication on the Kinsey Web site. The site launched the encyclopedia Sept. 27, but a lot still needs to be added to get the full 1.5 million-word text online.\nAfter receiving numerous awards and selling extremely well in the United States and Europe, the book needed to get to Third World countries, Francoeur said. At 1,400 pages and seven and a half pounds, it was not feasible to send around the world, so it had to be put online. The professor \ninsisted it be free. \nJennifer Bass, director of communication at the Kinsey Institute, explained why the volumes are so important to have on the Web. \n"We get people from Pakistan to India to small colleges in Africa that don't have resources we have here at Kinsey," she said. "We wanted to make it available to students, scholars, and the general public."\nFrancoeur said in his foreword to the book that he originally planned to invite 20 sexologists in 20 countries to prepare 20-page chapters on "sex and love, marriage and family in their countries," but word spread and more authors offered their services from around the world free of charge to help put together the massive encyclopedia.\n"Now, after 11 years of work by 270 authorities on six continents, we have a truly unique up-to-date Continuum Complete International Encyclopedia of Sexuality with in-depth studies of sexual attitudes and behavior in five dozen countries," he wrote in the foreword of the book.\nFrancoeur is still working on the ever-growing encyclopedia, he said. \nHe wrote in his foreword that the information is there to help shed light on important worldwide questions, such as how people can promote the reality of gender equality and equal legal rights for all, regardless of sexual identity, role and orientation. \nIn addition, he wants to address sexual education, which has recently been a problem in Indiana since studies show that less than 7 percent of Indiana high school health classes teach proper condom usage. \nFrancoeur has personally been able to see the practical application of his creation. When his daughter called him from college telling him her Portuguese and Israeli friends were having relationship issues stemming from their cultural differences, Francoeur found a way to help. He sent them the chapters of his sex encyclopedia from their respective countries so they could better understand each other. He said the encyclopedia, which has been out for a few years, has saved a lot of marriages. \nBass said having the encyclopedia online gives her and the institute another source of pride.\n"It's important to spread the information around the world," she said. "We're all about information. Knowledge is helpful. Knowledge is not a dangerous thing, and I think that's the bottom line."\nThe encyclopedia is just one of the resources available at the Kinsey Institute, which Bass said has more than 100 volumes spanning five centuries of written material. They also have current issues of Hustler, Penthouse, and Ms. magazines and sexual journals for those wanting to keep up with current sexual issues or explore current pornography. The Kinsey Institute, located in Morrison Hall, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with about three free tours available a week. New to the Institute is the gallery viewing from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The encyclopedia can be viewed online at http://kinseyinstitute.org/ccies/. \nFrancoeur said he signed a contract with the Kinsey Institute partly because it has been doing sexuality work for 50 years, and its researchers are "major pioneers."\n"I have tremendous admiration for Kinsey. He was a giant," Francoeur said. "I just got an idea, and it worked better than I ever thought it would"