Bisexual vs. Pansexual
Clearing up misconceptions and exploring a rich history
"prideIMG_0175" by mary on Flickr, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
In honor of Pride Month, I thought I’d share some things I learned recently about the histories of the terms bisexual and pansexual and clear up some misunderstandings around their meanings.
I am a bisexual nonbinary Asian-American. I used to identify as pansexual because I misunderstood bisexuality to mean attraction to two sexes or genders. In reality, bisexuality and pansexuality both mean attraction to two or more sexes or genders.
The “bi” in “bisexual” doesn’t inherently refer to “two” genders, but rather “similar and different” genders, just like the “homo” in “homosexual” doesn’t mean “attraction to wo/men” but simply “attraction to the same gender.”
Bisexuality and pansexuality can also entail “gender-blindness,” where the bi/pan person may experience attraction to people regardless of their gender identity. To quote Janet Bode, a nonfiction author about topics youth care about,
“Being bisexual does not mean they have sexual relations with both sexes but that they are capable of meaningful and intimate involvement with a person regardless of gender.”
Also, bisexuality is not transphobic. Some people misunderstand the term to mean attraction to cis men and cis women only. However, when we take into account the more accurate definition of bisexuality, it’s more inclusive. A person who is attracted to cis and trans men, cis and trans women, and nonbinary people can call themselves bi. A person who is attracted to all genders can call themselves bi. It’s not as black and white as one may think, and that’s a beautiful thing.
This article is not a complete picture of the many stories behind the words bisexual and pansexual. If you want to learn more, I encourage you to do your own research. If it helps, you can start by checking out some of the links below. LGBTQ+ communities deserve more understanding. Let's start by educating ourselves.
References:
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The Bisexual History They Don’t Want You to Know | by Kravitz Marshall | An Injustice!
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The Bisexual Manifesto - A bi magazine that argues that bisexuality is not binary.
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The Reddit thread that inspired this post.
