this post was submitted on 08 Aug 2023
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[–] kameecoding 24 points 1 year ago (4 children)

don't mean to be ignorant but how is that not just a word for non-superficial bisexual?

[–] [email protected] 31 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (4 children)

The "bi" part of bisexual implies a gender binary. Some people like that, some people don't. Pansexual is just an alternative that is explicit in its attraction to non-binary people. Some people aren't attracted to non-binary people, and use bisexual as a label to specifically mean only an attraction to men and women. Other people who might be described as pansexual describe themselves as bisexual simply because it is a more well known word. It all varies.

"Non superficial bisexual" isn't the worst definition of pansexual, but saying pansexual is shorter.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I’ve always felt that bi = people of my sex or people of the other sex. Nothing about the word “bisexual” implies any gender to me, it just means I’m not explicitly gay or straight!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I feel as a straight man with few connections to the LGBT community that I should be able to define the differences between Pan and Bi

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Allow me to be more clear about why I said that.

It is mostly because of the words themselves. The "bi" prefix means 2, or twice, etc. That would mean the word bisexual literally means "twice sexual". Sexuality is inherently related to gender because it is a quality defined by relationships between people's genders, and bisexual thus (literally, but often not functionally) means a person who is sexually attracted to two genders.

The "pan" prefix on the other hand, means all, or including everything. Thus we can assume pansexual to (literally) mean a person who is sexually attracted to any and every gender that there is or could be.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)
[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The “pan” prefix on the other hand, means all, or including everything. Thus we can assume pansexual to (literally) mean a person who is sexually attracted to any and every gender that there is or could be.

The “pan” prefix on the other hand, means all, or including everything. Thus we can assume pansexual to (literally) mean a person who ~~is~~ can be sexually attracted to any and every gender that there is or could be.___

Hetero, bi, and gay people are not attracted to any or every of their preferred gender. It's a small difference in language but I think pansexuals would agree that phrasing it as "is sexually attracted to any and every gender" implies pansexuals are out there trying to bang anything with a pulse whereas the truth is just that gender or sexuality are not barriers to them. I guess it would be more accurate to say "pansexuals are sexually attracted to partners independent of sex and/or gender identity"?

This is probably oversimplified, but maybe helpful:

Straight - consider themselves sexually attracted to opposite gender/sex

Gay - consider themselves sexually attacted to same gender/sex

Bi - consider themselves sexually attracted to either gender/sex

Pan - consider themselves sexually attracted

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

I agree that pansexuality doesn't mean an attraction to every individual of every gender, yes. I should have been more direct in how I said this part, but when I say "a person who is sexually attracted to every gender that there is or could be" I am just trying to communicate what you said. I suppose I would personally see a distinction between "attraction to a gender" and "attraction to a person of said gender", where the prior means overall sexual compatibility with that gender, and the latter means a literal instance of someone feeling attracted to someone else. But I can see how there isn't any actual clear distinction between the two, I should say it different.

[–] kameecoding 3 points 1 year ago

makes sense, thanks

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

The "bi" part of bisexual implies a gender binary

No. Historically it kind of did, but the definition has evolved since the existence of non-binary started to be widely accepted in LGBT+ circles. Now it just means attracted to more than one gender. Pansexual is a subcategory of bisexual.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 year ago

The way I (a bisexual) have always interpreted the difference is that pansexuals feel the same attraction to all genders and that bisexuals feel different attraction to different genders. I identify as bi because I definitely feel different kinds of attractions towards men, women and enby's.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

From what I can tell bisexual can mean a couple of things depending on who you ask. Either an attraction to two genders eg. cis men and women, or perhaps an attraction to multiple but not all genders. Pansexual on the other hand means an attraction to all, including trans or nonbinary people, etc.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I’d assume people that are bi are attracted to biological males and biological females, but not necessarily transsexuals or anything else on the sexuality/gender spectrum.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Sorry, that's incorrect. Bisexuals are attracted to more than one gender, and thats any of the genders on the gender spectrum. Pansexuals are less specific; most define it as gender not being the primary part of their attraction. Some pansexuals are only interested in certain genders, others consider themselves open to any gender. The overlap for these two terms is pretty big, but there are a few differences nonetheless.

"Bisexuality is a whole, fluid identity. Do not assume that bisexuality is binary or duogamous in nature: that we have “two” sides or that we must be involved simultaneously with both genders to be fulfilled human beings. In fact, don’t assume that there are only two genders. Do not mistake our fluidity for confusion, irresponsibility, or an inability to commit. Do not equate promiscuity, infidelity, or unsafe sexual behavior with bisexuality. Those are human traits that cross all sexual orientations." (The Bisexual Manifesto, Bay Area Bisexual Network, c. 1990)