Collections : [The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction]

This finding aid describes the arrangement of Benjamin materials located within the Kinsey Institute Collections. It includes correspondence, Dr. Benjamin's personal papers, manuscripts, notes from lectures, conference proceedings, photographs, research files, slides, clinical objects, rare books and other printed works. Materials span the period 1891-1986.

The Money collection includes professional correspondence (1950-2004); lectures, presentations, and audiovisual materials (1960s-2004); articles and clippings (1973-2000); including thousands of reprints and pamphlets on a broad range of sex education and research topics, scientific journals and erotic magazines (1940s-2000); a complete holding of his manuscripts and publications; scientific, erotic and pornographic journals and magazines (1949-1985); conference programs and papers, photo albums, and information, and materials relating to sex research organizations and conferences.

The Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association (HBIGDA) Collection consists of materials related to the activities of HBIGDA, a multi-disciplinary professional organization dedicated to the research and treatment of gender identity disorders. This collection contains organizational information, symposium materials and publication, correspondence and miscellaneous material.

The materials in this collection are related to Ira L. Reiss, a sociologist specializing in the study of human sexuality. This collection contains biographic information, correspondence, publications/research, lectures, and AV recordings. Reiss's total collection spans an impressive 57 years, from 1953 to 2010 and Reiss will soon be adding new material.

The Leonore Tiefer Collection contains over 900 monographs extensively covering topics such as Women's Studies, Feminism, Clinical Psychology, and Human Sexuality. Her collection also includes several educational videos, educational slides, and personal photo albums of attended professional conferences. Archival collection currently being processed.

The collection consists of four sections containing 65 archival folders covering the years 1966-1978: 1) Organizational information and correspondence includes meeting minutes, financial information, social activities, press releases, media relations, chapter information, calendars, and correspondence to/from the SFL and its religious offshoot, the Psychedelic Venus Church. 2) Newsletters consist of the pre-publication notes and correspondence dealing with the Sexual Freedom League Newsletter. 3) News Clippings contains newspaper and magazine articles on the topics of sex, gender, reproduction, women's rights, homosexual rights, nude beaches, and newsletters and flyers from other sex-related organizations. 4) Art and Objects consists of sex-related items.

The Kenneth R. Haslam, MD collection at The Kinsey Institute contains materials related to polyamory. It consists of conference materials, Internet resources, media coverage, and research articles, as well as Dr Haslam's personal correspondence and papers originally delivered at poly-oriented meetings, sex research and sex therapy conferences. Additionally, there are materials from several other donors relating to research, media response, and community communications and publications. The bulk of the collection represents the work of Dr. Haslam and other poly-activists from 2000 to the present, with contributions from earlier polyamory writers and activists dating from the 1970's. Dr. Haslam's decision to develop the polyamory collection at The Kinsey Institute reflects his interest in providing information and educating the public about polyamorous relationships. The collection includes biographical information about Kenneth Haslam, who has been a leader in organizing and documenting the polyamory community, and in introducing polyamory into the academic sphere. Dr. Haslam's presentations, featured in this collection, are geared towards educating professionals, practitioners, the public and the poly-community; they form a framework for understanding polyamory, along with snapshots of the lifestyles and communities. Many different polyamory groups and communities are represented in the collection, including the 1970's Kerista Community and the Church of All Worlds in the U.S., and international materials, such as Dutch language publications from The Netherlands. The collection also contains newsletters that were the precursors of Loving More magazine, a complete collection of Loving More magazine. The vast array of Internet community resources includes list-servs, blogs and journals, and websites. Examples are archives of the website "Polyamorous Percolations," "Swingercast," the swingers' podcast, Unitarian Universalists for Polyamory Awareness materials, and archives of various web-based discussion groups. There is a polyamory bibliography containing a variety of materials, including books on the subject that are held by the Kinsey Institute.

The International Academy of Sex Research collection consists of correspondence relevant to academy elections, membership, conferences, publications, and day-to-day operations between the years 1976 and 2002. It also contains some financial information—primarily IASR bank statements, bank stubs, and photocopies of checks from dues.

The Ihlenfeld Collection includes the writings, correspondence, and lecture notes of Dr. Charles L. Ihlenfeld as well as materials on the work of Dr. Harry Benjamin and Dr. Ihlenfeld's research, clippings files, and audio cassettes of interviews and radio appearances. The materials were collected between the late 1960's and the mid-1990's.

Alex Comfort, Ph.D., (1920-2000) was a British biochemist, physician, sex researcher and author of numerous works including The Joy of Sex (1972), which sold over 12 million copies. This collection contains material on homosexuality, bondage, sexual health, etc. These items were used by Comfort for research for his book "Joy of Sex". There is also material related to the Sandstone experimental sexual community where Comfort lived for a short time.