Today is celebrated as International Pansexual and Panromantic Awareness Day. What does it mean?
JoJo Siwa, Miley Cyrus, Kesha, Demi Lovato, and Cara Delevingne. What unites those talented actresses and singers, is being openly pansexual.
Though pansexuality has become much more commonly discussed around the world, it’s still often underrepresented in our country. There is also still a lot of confusion around what it actually is, leaving pansexual and panromantic young people feeling invalidated.
First, pansexuality is a sexual orientation, defined as an attraction to people regardless of their gender, or to people of possibly any gender.
Panromancy is a form of romantic orientation. It describes people who are capable of feeling a romantic attraction toward people regardless of their sex or gender identity.
Pansexuality and panromantism aren’t more evolved or “politically correct” forms of bisexuality; they’re not more or less trans/nonbinary inclusive; these are just words to describe one kind of sexual and romantic orientation..
Then, what’s the difference between bisexuality and pansexuality?
- First, bi does not mean you like two genders and pan does not mean you like all genders. The bisexual manifesto, a critical piece of bi* history, says that being bi doesn’t necessarily mean liking people of two genders, since they highlight that there are more than two genders. Nowadays, we say, that bisexuality might be defined as an attraction to people of your and other genders. So many bi people are attracted to all genders, and many are not, but gender typically does matter to a bi person.
- Pansexuality, on the other hand, is attraction regardless of someone’s gender, so gender often doesn’t matter. Pan people often mention the soul, or a personality, they find attractive. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they are blind to gender identities, and it would be deeply incorrect to assume that pansexuality is sexual indifference.
There is one more controversy about those two terms: since being bi might be interpreted as liking all genders the same and different from one’s own, all pan people fall into that category technically, and bi people feel that pansexuality may contribute to bi erasure. And many pans disagree, saying they’re more comfortable using the word pan. It’s a younger community and a newer term, and it highlights the fact that gender is irrelevant to who they’re attracted to.
[“I’m not straight. I don’t know what I am. I love people. I love people because we are all our own little consciousness journeys, dancing around the sun ☀️.”]
Kesha, American singer-songwriter
Introducing Bi+, or Multisexual Spectrum
Bi+ Umbrella or Multisexual Spectrum (abbreviated m-spec), are umbrella terms that cover a wide range of sexual orientations and/or attractions that all fit the definition of bisexuality and multisexuality: the ability to feel attraction to more than one gender.
So, why don’t we call them all Bi?
The m-spec community is very diverse, and the types of attraction can differ for each person. So, lumping it all under “bisexual” isn’t always accurate. Some members of the community prefer using specific labels that match what their attraction feels like and having specific identifiers can make people feel more validated and seen. Without specific labels like this, there can be erasure of identities.
What if I don’t want to label it?
All the more power to you! You do not need to label your attraction at all. This umbrella serves as a tool for people that want to label their attraction or get to know their attraction in comparison to the various identifiers they have so far.
Someone came out to you as Pansexual, and you’re not sure what to say?
Try avoiding saying things like: “Oh, you’re just bi then?” or “You’ll literally date anyone?”. Not only does it undermine what they’ve said to you, it shows a lack of understanding on your part of what they’re trying to tell you. You don’t have to understand every aspect of a person’s sexuality to give them support.
Please, no stupid jokes. They’re kind of harmful, and they’ve probably heard them all before. And remember to tell them you love them, indeed if it is relevant. In other cases, say them that you see and support them.
Thank you for reading this article, we hope that it was useful!
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Resources:
- The Trevor Project on Pansexuality
- Bi Manifesto
- Capri Campeau on Bi+ umbrella
- LGBTQIA+ Wiki on Multisexual Spectrum
- The Wrap on Pan Celebrities
By: “DiverCity” SCH NGO
#pansexual #panromantic #pan #bi #bisexual
