Difference Between Bisexual And Pansexual

Difference Between Bisexual And Pansexual
Stephanie Barnes is a freelance writer from Kingston, Jamaica. Her work has been featured at The Huffington Post, Healthline, The Lily, HelloGiggles, Business Insider, and more.
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Kristie Overstreet, Ph.D., LPCC, LMHC, CST, is a clinical sexologist and psychotherapist with 12 years of clinical experience. She is a licensed counselor in California, Florida, Georgia, and Louisiana. She is also a certified sex therapist, certified addiction professional, and president of the Therapy Department, a private practice in Orange County that provides counseling services throughout the United States.
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The difference between bisexuality and pansexuality.
The controversy between bisexual and pansexual.
Pansexual versus omnisexual versus polysexual.
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The difference between bisexuality and pansexuality.

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The controversy between bisexual and pansexual.

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Pansexual versus omnisexual versus polysexual.
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When it comes to the spectrum of sexuality, bisexuality and pansexuality are sometimes used interchangeably, but they're not quite the same. The main difference between bisexual and pansexual is rooted in the attraction felt.
A bisexual person is someone who is attracted to two or more genders, whereas a pansexual person is attracted to people regardless of gender. The terms are closely related, and some people identify with both terms while others prefer one over the other to have a more nuanced description of their sexuality.
According to Anthony Freire, LMHC , the clinical director of the Soho Center for Mental Health Counseling, there are a variety of ways in which people define bisexuality—some of which are rooted in skepticism, prejudice, and assumptions, even within the LGBTQIA+ community.
There's a common misconception that bisexual people are people who are specifically attracted to men and women only, therefore excluding nonbinary people, whereas pansexuality is inclusive of all genders. But in reality, a bisexual person might be attracted to women and femmes, men and nonbinary folks, or any other combination of genders. Bisexuality isn't necessarily binary; it just means attraction to more than one gender. Some bisexual people describe their identity as being attracted to their own gender and people of other genders.
Pansexual people, on the other hand, are attracted to anyone regardless of gender. The prefix pan means "all," "of everything," or "involving all members" of a group. So a pansexual person is someone who is attracted to all genders, including cis, trans, and gender-nonconforming individuals.
"Anything and everything goes" when it comes to pansexuality, says Freire. But this shouldn't necessarily be mistaken for promiscuity: "It does not mean they are perverts in that they will sleep with anyone they can get their hands on," he notes. "It's a bit more 'no one is off the table when it comes to who I am able to be attracted to romantically and physically.'"
One of the most important differences between bisexual and pansexual is the role of gender in determining who you're attracted to. Generally speaking, gender doesn't affect who pansexual people are attracted to—they can find themselves sexually and romantically attracted to just about anyone, regardless of gender.
But for bisexual folks, gender usually does play some kind of a role in who they're attracted to. They may not be attracted to all genders, but there may be some genders that they're into and some they aren't into.
That said, every bisexual and pansexual person has their own definition of these words, and how a potential partner's gender factors into their attraction will depend on the individual.
There has been some tension between the bisexual and pansexual communities, rooted in misunderstandings about each label. Sexologist Carol Queen, Ph.D. , believes some of the tension is generational, at least in part, and stems from the emergence of the nonbinary community. She says there is "an assumption built in that the term bisexual is automatically not appropriate for nonbinary folks."
Since the prefix bi- means "two," some people assume the term is referencing the gender binary and describes "the two genders," i.e., men and women. Some people thus believe the term bisexual is therefore not inclusive enough, as it excludes nonbinary people and potentially trans people by perpetuating a gender binary.
"It's certainly true that if someone finds that language too binary, they shouldn't necessarily embrace the term. But it's a mistake to step past that and say that all bisexuals are only into binary gender notions," Queen explains. "That's just not the case for many—maybe even most—bisexuals, who may be attracted to some subset of women, men, and everybody else."
She notes there's even a newer, more inclusive term that some bisexual folk use: bi+ , which seeks to remind people that there are more than two genders to love and desire and that bisexual people are not perpetuating a gender binary.
"The worst part of all this is that the discussion provokes biphobia," Queen adds. "Denying that it's OK for one to ID as bi and should ID as pan equals bisexual invisibility, full stop. Even if it isn't intended to diss bisexuals, it can hurt to hear this—just reinforcing the idea that bisexuals don't have a lot of support even from other LGBTQ+ people, which historically has often been the case."
On the other side of the coin, the push to call out any biphobia in the definition of pansexuality has led to some criticism of the pansexual community in general, with some people arguing that pansexuality itself is biphobic because the label was created on the biphobic assumption that bisexual people are exclusionary and binary-oriented.
Queen notes that the confusion between the two identities has contributed to more people switching to the more general term "queer." "This group may encompass all the folks who ID as bi or pan, TBH, because what attracts many to that term is how big-umbrella and overarching it is."
Omnisexual and polysexual are two other labels that bear some similarities to bisexual and pansexual.
While pansexual people can be attracted to someone without thinking about their gender, an omnisexual person is very aware of gender. Pansexuality is being attracted to people regardless of gender or without consideration of gender, whereas omnisexuality is being attracted to people of all genders. Freire says these two terms are "often used interchangeably because they are so similar, but there is a slight difference."
A polysexual person is attracted to multiple genders and can be considered a more umbrella term. Bisexuality and pansexuality might be considered categories under the umbrella of polysexuality, which might also include omnisexual, heteroflexible , and other labels that aren't focused on being attracted to one gender. Being polysexual isn't to be confused with someone who is polyamorous, meaning this person is able to love, have sex with, and be in a relationship with more than one person at the same time.
Choosing the word that best fits your sexual identity can feel like a daunting task, but at the end of the day, it comes down to what feels right to you. If you're emotionally and sexually attracted to a handful of specific genders, then bisexual might feel like a more accurate term for you. If you find yourself emotionally and sexually attracted to folks of any gender, then you might reach for the word pansexual . Queer is also a solid option if you still feel limited in any way by either of these terms.
Labels are only here to help you more easily describe your identity to others and find community with other people like you. They're not meant to be prescriptive or limiting, and each term might mean something different from any given bi or pan person. So just pick the one that just feels like it makes your life easier and feels good on your tongue.
Here's a test for how to tell if you're pansexual , plus a fuller list of sexualities for you to consider.
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Stephanie Barnes is a freelance writer from Kingston, Jamaica. She studied Information Technology from the University of the Commonwealth Caribbean and spent several years as a front-end/iOS engineer. Her work has been featured at The Huffington Post, Healthline, The Lily, HelloGiggles, Business Insider, and more. She's passionate about all things mental health, technology, and binge-worthy television.
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What seem to be straightforward labels for sexual preference are anything but – and they even confuse many in the LGBTQ community

People of all sexualities are welcomed at Pride, but there's been a recent blowback against the term "bisexual."
When queer activist and Younger star Nico Tortorella is asked how he identified, he takes a big breath before replying, “Well that’s a loaded question.”
“In the [queer] movement right now, we have a tendency of getting hung on specific words rather than the person,” the 29-year-old actor tells Rolling Stone . “And in my fluidity, I’m really attracted to this idea that it doesn’t have to be one thing.”
Bisexuality, pansexuality, sexually fluid, queer and simply “not doing labels” – all are different ways people identify to indicate that they are not exclusively attracted to either men or women. The truth is, however, there’s confusion even among members of the LGBTQ community as to what these words mean, particularly when it comes to bisexuality. In fact, the bisexual community doesn’t even agree on what it means to be bisexual. The term pansexual was birthed out of the confusion, and to create a definitive and more inclusive label. This has led to in-fighting between members of the community, who are upset that their bisexual identity is being replaced by another label.
The meaning of pansexual is clear: someone who is attracted – either emotionally, physically or both – to all genders. This includes cisgender, transgender, agender and gender nonconforming individuals. The prefix was chosen because it comes from the Greek root “pan,” meaning “all.” But that’s obviously not the case. Two months ago, when Janelle Monáe came out as queer and pansexual in a Rolling Stone cover story, searches for the word pansexual on Merriam Webster rose 11,000 percent, and the term became the most looked up word of the day.
The prefix “bi,” as we’re all aware, means two. Because of this, many folks, perhaps even the majority of people, believe that a bisexual person is attracted to only two genders: cisgender men and cisgender women. Members of the queer community who believe this to be the definition of bisexual, believe that bisexuality perpetuates a gender binary. They don’t believe it’s inclusive of transgender people and gender nonconforming people.
Given that “bi” means two, that’s a reasonable belief.
However, many bisexual-identifying individuals, myself included, now use renowned bisexual activist Robyn Och’s definition of bisexuality, as stated on her website: “I call myself bisexual because I acknowledge that I have in myself the potential to be attracted – romantically and/or sexually – to people of more than one sex and/or gender, not necessarily at the same time, not necessarily in the same way, and not necessarily to the same degree.”
In this definition, the “bi” stands for two (or more) genders. Gabrielle Blonder, a board member of the Bisexual Resource Center , a nonprofit whose mission is “providing support to the bisexual community and raising public awareness about bisexuality and bisexual people,” explains, “I use it to mean ‘attracted to genders like mine and genders different from mine.'”
The majority of pansexual individuals don’t believe either of these definitions – and that’s precisely why they prefer the term pansexual.
When the word “bisexual” became popularized, starting with David Bowie when he claimed bisexuality in a Playboy interview in 1976 , we didn’t have a nuanced understanding of gender like we do today. Now that we do have a better understanding, some bisexual people have updated the definition of bisexual to be inclusive of all genders, whereas others have favored abandoning it, for a new word, that frankly is less confusing, given that pan does indeed mean “all.”
Some pansexual folks even go a step further. “There’s the argument to be had that people use all the time, that bi is exclusionary. It feeds into the binary of gender,” says Tortella. “And I know that for me personally, that’s not the case. A lot of people say that bi is trans-exclusionary, but trans is not a gender itself, it’s a descriptor word for how people express their gender.”
That’s why Ethan Remillard, 22, who came out as bisexual in his early teens, said bluntly, “I identify as bisexual because I like fucking dudes and romancing girls. But I don’t claim pansexuality because trans[gender] girls and boys are the same as their cis[gender] counterparts.”
This is partly why people don’t like identifying with any sexual or gender identity label. Simply put, it’s confusing, and for many, the labels feels limiting. Also, inherent in your sexuality is an understanding of your own gender. If you’re not completely sure if you identify as male or female, then how can you accurately state your own sexuality?
This contributes to the growing popularity of the reclaimed word, “queer.”
“I use the term queer because I’m not sure of the specifics of my gender identity,” says Jill B., a 23 year-old artist. “So ‘queer’ feels like a good umbrella placeholder while I grow and learn and figure out all the details.”
People also have no qualms claiming multiple sexual identity labels. “Early on in my coming out, bisexual just fit … and queer felt disconnected from who I was, a bit academic and
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Difference Between Bisexual And Pansexual

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