There are many misconceptions and complexities around bisexuality, pansexuality, and their relationship to each other. To some who do not identify with either sexuality, the two are indistinguishable from one another. Beyond that, from claims that bisexuality is transphobic to pansexuality being bisexual erasure, there seems to be some proverbial conflict between the two to some. However, to others, many of us can coexist and even have great relationships with each other, platonic or otherwise. In my humble opinion, this comes from having a mutual understanding and respect for each other. To start, what is the difference between the two? As referenced in one of my previous posts, being bisexual means that someone is attracted to two or more genders. One could favor a gender or genders over others, but it is definitely possible and completely valid for a bisexual person to be attracted to all genders. Being pansexual, on the other hand, means that one is attracted to any and all genders equally and some claim to be “genderblind” as a way to describe their attraction to others. Pansexuality is commonly regarded as being part of the “bisexual umbrella” which also includes omnisexuality and polysexuality (which is different from polyamory). It isn’t hard to see how the two are similar, but their differences are clear and should be recognized out of respect to all who identify as either. It should also go without saying that both sexualities are valid and belong in the greater LGBTQIA+ community! Where does conflict arise then? A common misconception is that the bi- prefix means that one is only attracted to men or women, thus reinforcing the binary. With that, a false dichotomy has come to be believed by some that pansexuality is more accepting than bisexuality. This garnered much resentment amongst many bisexuals, leading to the eventual accusations that pansexuality itself is bisexual erasure. Sadly, much of those attitudes have led to pansexual erasure in LGBTQIA+ culture among other factors. As a proud bisexual and nonbinary person, seeing a divide between some is very disheartening to me. Others being pansexual has never and never will hurt me. Yes, misconceptions circulating in our community and greater society can be hurtful, but we should simply correct said misconceptions and advocate for ourselves rather than invalidating another’s sexuality. Historically, bisexual people have also been and still are invalidated for who we are attracted to, and we really should be extending grace and solidarity to pansexual people as often as possible. I, myself, have many pansexual loved ones who actually asked me to write on this topic. Their requests tell me that there is a great amount of work to be done to ensure that people of all sexualities feel comfortable and safe in our community. If that’s the case, I want to be a part of that change and acknowledge our similarities, differences, and the respect I have for any and all pansexual people out there. I hope my brief overview of this topic either validated or informed whoever read it. Below, I will also link some additional information for further reading. -Bek Hayfield, Nikki. “Bisexual and Pansexual Identities: Exploring and Challenging Invisibility and Invalidation”. Routledge, 2020, pp. 1-17. Jakubowski, Kaylee. "Pansexuality 101: It’s More Than ‘Just Another Letter’." https://everydayfeminism.com/2014/11/pansexuality-101/, Everyday Feminism, 12 Nov. 2014, everydayfeminism.com/2014/11/pansexuality-101/. Johnson, Bek. “How to Use Inclusive Language: Respecting the LGBTQIA+ Community in Your Writing.” Seattle University Writing Center. https://www.seattleu.edu/media/writing-center/worksheets/Respecting_the_LGBTQIA_Community_in_Your_Writing.pdf.
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January 2024
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