But can someone explain the difference to me between bisexual and pansexual? The internet has not done a very good job of explaining. There is probably a thread on here somewhere about it but it's hard to find. Thanks!!
A "bisexual" is someone who's sexually attracted to males and females. A "pansexual" is someone who's sexually attracted to ALL genders; male, female, genderqueers, etc.....
The Bisexual Resource Center defines bisexuality as "an umbrella term for people who recognize and honor their potential for sexual and emotional attraction to more than one gender" (cited here) whereas pansexuality is "sexual attraction, sexual desire, romantic love, or emotional attraction toward people of all gender identities and biological sexes" (ibid). There is some debate (which is not fruitful) over whether bisexuals have to be considered only the people who are attracted to cisgender people. Not all of us who are bisexual identified are cisgender ourselves or attracted only to binary sexed or gender identified people.
This sounds good to me. However, I (as a self-identified bisexual) have yet to meet somebody whose non-binary gender would stop me from considering them. Have I mis-labeled myself, or is pansexual really more inclusive instead of just differently focused?
Good question, this is why I asked about it. I think bisexual is a little easier for straight people to understand as well... If I had told the people I came out to I was pansexual I would've gotten some strange looks and jokes about having sex with pots and pans... no offense intended to anyone who is pansexual I just know my friends
I asked this question once because like you said the Internet isn't good at explaining. I got a lot of hateful responses more than helpful. This thread has helped me understand better than when I asked. Thank you
Think about it this way...when you use the words 'Male' and 'Female' it includes trans people who see themselves as binary. So I am just 'female'. So bisexual DOES (in theory) include binary trans people. Pansexual exists because there are a hell of a lot more genders that the binary can deal with.
It does so in practice as well. Also, this thread is an example of a well-posed question. The OP clearly made an attempt to find the information himself before posing the question to us. I would love to see more of that behavior.
When I tried to label myself i said pansexual because I prefer people who aren't cis-gendered. I feel I connect more on an empathetic level with those in positions similar to mine. Dunno if that helps.
I understand the difference between the two, but for me it seems odd because when I think of someone who is transgender, I would think of them as whatever gender they prefer, making that person either male or female, which in theory is no different than bisexuality. I mean, if someone is transgender, I'm sure they want to be thought of as their preferred gender, so to me it seems kinda like the same thing. Plus, part of the idea of bisexuality is that gender isn't really an issue, so the two seem way similar to me anyway
That only works for trans people who fit the binary. You've also got your genderless, bi-gender, fluid and countless others that don't necessarily want to be thought of as male or female at all!
