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Have you heard of the term “pansexual” before?
Pansexuality refers to someone attracted to all people no matter their gender identity. It’s not to be confused with bisexuality, which means being attracted to more than one gender.
The term has become an increasingly large part of our culture lexicon in recent years, and with prominence comes the propensity for misconceptions.
“There’s this strange belief that because pansexual people are attracted to others regardless of gender, their eyes are always roaming,” Nicole Mello, who is pansexual, previously told USA TODAY. “Pansexuals are simply people who experience attraction like anyone else. A person’s sexuality is very different from their personality, choices, and lifestyle, as everyone in the queer community knows.”
Is pansexuality different than bisexuality?
Bisexuality and pansexuality are not interchangeable words, GLAAD CEO Sarah Kate Ellis previously told USA TODAY, though pansexuality does fall under the “bisexuality umbrella.”
“Pan is more about all-inclusive, and bi tends to be more than one,” she said, adding, “The golden rule, honestly, is to call someone by how they identify.”
“Pansexuality is a newer and more expansive term, a bisexual person may have a preference more toward a particular gender and a pansexual person doesn’t usually take gender into account,” says Cathy Renna, director of communications at the National LGBTQ Task Force.
“Bisexual and pansexual exist freely and separate of one another,” Mello added. “We are both wonderful and valid, but separate groups within the queer community.” Still, some identify as both.
Only 1% to 2% of LGBTQ adults labeled themselves as queer, pansexual or asexual, according to a recent Gallup survey.
“Sexual orientation is highly personal – meaning that a person may identify with a given sexual orientation based on their own internal definition, and two people who identify with the same orientation may do so based on entirely different patterns of sexual and romantic attraction and partnering,” according to Shoshana Goldberg, public education and research director at the Human Rights Campaign.
Who are some pansexual celebrities?
JoJo Siwa, Bella Thorne, Janelle Monáe, Miley Cyrus and Mae Whitman are a few celebrities who have identified with the label.
“I like queer,” Siwa told People two years ago. “Technically I would say that I am pansexual because that’s how I have always been my whole life… my human is my human.”
And Monáe told Rolling Stone in 2018: “Being a queer Black woman in America … someone who has been in relationships with both men and women — I consider myself to be a free-(love proponent). But then later I read about pansexuality and was like, ‘Oh, these are things that I identify with too.’ I’m open to learning more about who I am.”
What pronouns do pansexual people use?
Pansexual people can use any pronouns they like; their gender and sexual identities are separate from one another. For example, Mello uses they/them pronouns.
What does the pansexual flag look like?
If you’re looking to roll out your pansexual pride this June, be sure to know what all the colors mean.
The pink stripes in the pansexual flag reference those who are attracted to women, while the blue references those who are attracted to men. Yellow stands for nonbinary attraction.
More on pansexual, LGBTQ identities
Another explainer:What does the ‘B’ in LGBTQ stand for? The difference between bisexuality and pansexuality.
‘It’s a very fluid thing’:What your pansexual friend wishes you knew
‘War’ on LGBTQ existence:8 ways the record onslaught of 650 bills targets the community
Interesting:Straight couples get married earlier than gay couples. Here’s a look at why.
Contributing: Sara Moniuszko and Alia E. Dastagir, USA TODAY; Laurel Deppen, Louisville Courier Journal
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