Bisexual, pansexual?

That's kind of how i see it, I'm pansexual myself and I could really care less what gender people are as I'd rather have someone with an amazing personality that I connect with.

 

Bisexual is when you're attracted to just cisgendered males and cisgendered females exclusively.
Pansexual is when you're attracted to every kind of person -- no matter what gender. Cis-females, cis-males, trans women, trans men, agenders, bigenders, I could go on and on. It doesn't matter. :3

 

How I see it:

Bisexual: I like both men and women.
Pansexual: I like all genders and this includes all the ambiguous ones (therefore more likely to define attraction by personality because gender is no longer a factor at all).

It's a pretty subtle difference and hard to explain. Hopefully I did okay there.

 

I find it kind of strange when people say pansexuality means that you're attracted to only people and not gender since people fall in love with others due to a combination of factors like personality and not looks alone. I'm not gonna fall in love with a girl just because she's female and gay. I've also definitely seen women that are good looking but if they have a really shitty personality, I don't find them very attractive anymore. The way pansexuality is being defined kinda makes it seem like other people only fall in love with others due to gender.

It would make more sense to me to say that pansexuality means you are sexually and romantically attracted to people of all sexes, male, female, intersex, trans (it's also implied in the name itself) since people who identify as gay, bi or lesbian can be attracted to people outside of the gender binary. A lesbian can date a gender queer biologically female person. A gay man may date an agender biologically male person. And a straight person may date someone who is trans.

But that's just me.. Anyone who knows more about pansexuality can feel free to enlighten me.

 

I'm not sure there's a solid definition. I would disagree that bi-sexuality has anything to do with whether someone has a trans body or not though. I consider a trans woman to be a woman.

 

There are many people of all orientations that do not consider a trans woman to be a "real woman" and there are people that do consider a trans woman a "real woman" but would not be interested in dating her. (I hold neither of these views). There are many bisexuals (including some on EC) that are not interested in dating a member of the trans community. I think that this may have been why the phrase pansexual became more common. I also believe that it is suppose to be more inclusive to those outside of the strict gender binary

The way I see it, bisexuality is attraction to two genders (how you define those genders is up to you). If you're attracted to anyone else pansexual seems to be more correct

I identify as Bisexual/Pansexual which ever is easier for the other person. I can be attracted to anyone of any gender. Basically gender doesn't matter to me. I tend to describe myself as pansexual because, to me, it seems more correct from a denotative standpoint.

Personally, I don't worry about labels too much. I like what I like

 

I will chime in on the last comment just to give it a confirmation. I am bisexual and I fluctuate in attraction between men and women sometimes more strong to one than the other, but still I am not attracted to transgender. So as the poster said above I think that makes the difference.

I wish I was able to say I was pansexual and the body didn`t matter at all; but alas although I don`t have a definite preference between male or female I guess there is something different for me with transgender. Although I consider a transgender female, a female, for me the attraction isn`t there for some reason.

I don`t mean that in a negative way at all -- it is just my bodies preference I guess

 

Actually, the word bisexual has been in widespread use much longer than pansexual, and has always been used inclusively of the way pansexual is used. There are many people who identify as bisexual who not only would date transgender people, but actually have. "Bisexual" includes anyone who is attracted to more than one gender. Or so the bisexual advocacy websites I've visited tell me.

The fact that "bi" means two is sort of like the fact that "gay" means happy. Subsequent use of the term has resulted in a different meaning. This is a normal linguistic process.

I have spoken with a lot of bisexuals who are really very offended when anyone, including a pansexual person, implies that identifying as bisexual means that they are excluding people outside the gender binary or transpeople. It has never meant that. The term bisexual is a broader category that includes those who date only people who conform to the gender binary (and their gender assignment therein), and also those who date people from anywhere on the gender spectrum.

The definition of pansexual is narrower--it refers to people for whom gender is not a factor in determining whom they are attracted to. But mainly, it is used by people who want to specifically and overtly include people outside the gender binary, and transgender people. Pansexuality can be understood as a type of bisexuality. So, asking how pansexuality is different from bisexuality is sort of like asking how robins are different from birds. Robins are not different from birds, although they are different from other kinds of birds.

(NOTE that the fact that gender is not a factor does NOT actually mean that physical attraction is not a factor, or that they are "only interested in people's souls." Pansexuals often have physical types that they are attracted to, just like any other sexuality. It is false, and really obnoxious, to claim that pansexuals--or bisexuals, because they do this too, sometimes--are somehow less shallow or superficial than other people. They aren't--everyone is attracted to people on physical, mental and emotional levels. And you know, for me personally, I want a partner who is attracted to me physically, as well as in other ways. Don't you?)

 

my understanding of the terms were as follows:

bisexual - a person who is attracted to both genders no matter their orientation or gender identification

pansexual - a person who is attracted to ANYONE no matter their gender, sexual orientation, gender identification, age, or physical and mental ability

 

It is a natural linguistic process and bisexual has been used much more often. The phrase bisexual is from the early 1800s while the term pansexual is from the early 1900s. In fact, the word bisexual was once, early on, used to describe an organism with two sexes. That didn't catch on too much outside of the science community. However, I think the word bisexual was used as a catch all term due to a lack of a clearer word to describe the different aspects of multiple sex attraction. As you mentioned, the meanings of words change and that is happening again

I would not consider this to be the denotative definition. The problem with that is that what means something to one person can mean something else to another. I believe that this is another reason why the phrase bisexual and pansexual are transitioning to place emphasis on the denotative definition as opposed to other definitions

Currently, according to Webster's Dictionary bisexual is defined as

The Oxford Dictionary defines bisexual as

These definitions (from some of the most reputable English dictionaries) differ from the definition that you gave and are much more limiting. They do not include anyon outside of the gender binary. Using these definitions, it is easy to see why another word would be created. Definitions from the following dictionaries also support Oxford and Webster's definitions: American Heritage, Cambridge, Collins, Chambers, Macmillan, and many others.

I find that the term pansexual was coined because not only is it more logical from a denotative definitional standpoint (the definition of bi and pan which have not changed) but there was a demand for a distinction. If there was no demand, I doubt that there would be a distinction. There are bisexuals that only date cisgenders within the gender binary and those that date outside of it. Two different words would be helpful. Currently, we don't have that

I'm not saying that I represent pansexuals/bisexuals or anyone else for that matter but the rest of this post I'll explain my personal feelings in case it helps the OP or anyone else.

Personally, I have yet to come across anyone that believes that they are less shallow solely because they are pansexual or bisexual. (I'm not saying that there are no people like that. I am just saying that I have yet to run across them) That would be silly. When I say that gender doesn't matter to me, I mean just that. I can be attracted to men/women/anyone else. I don't have a sexual or emotional preference for any gender

I have never said that I am only attracted to people's souls because, for me, that isn't true. However, I don't think I have much of a "type". There are a few things that I am physically attracted to but it really depends on the person for me (if that makes sense).

The short version of my point from a denotative standpoint a bisexual is a person that is attracted to both men and women. Anything more would be pansexual