Sexuality has not always had the freedom of discussion and expression that it has today, however it does have a rich and vast history. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries ideas about sexuality began to change dramatically. Historians often highlight this period, they saw a shift from feudal systems of power based on divine right to a more formal notion of legal equality (Fausto-Sterling 7). With this rise in capitalism there was a need to control how bodies were used. Many scholars credit the work of Alfred C Kinsey and colleagues as the start of modern scientific studies of homosexuality in humans, first published in 1948. They rated both men and women on a scale from 0-6, 0 being 100% heterosexual and 6 being 100% homosexual. He even had an eighth category "X" for individuals who experienced no erotic attractions or activities. The Kinsey studies supplied new categories defined in terms of sexual arousal to contribute to definitions of human sexuality. Sexuality remained an individual characteristic, not something created within relationships in specific social settings. The Kinsey scale is still used today, both scholarly and in casual conversation. We do not only see sexuality change across time but across cultures as well. This is seen when historians talk about heterosexuality being in America since 1892 and "from 1700-1900 the citizens of London made a transition from three sexes to four genders" (Fausto-Sterling 12). In ancient Greece, men who participated in same-sex acts changed as they aged from feminine to masculine roles, unlike those engaging in same sex acts at the beginning of the 20th century who were in fact as they presented-homosexual. In fact Americans at the time found urban places they could be together freely, for example men gathered in bars or particular outdoor spots. Many historians believe that our modern understanding of sex and desire first made their appearance in the 19th century, with some pointing to the year 1869 when a German legal reformer wanting to change antisodomy laws first used the word homosexuality in public (Fausto-Sterling 13).
