Pansexual Person

Pansexual Person

Medically Reviewed by Isabel Lowell, MD on October 20, 2021
Pansexuality is the romantic, emotional, and/or sexual attraction to people regardless of their gender. Like everyone else, pansexual people may be attracted to some people and not others, but the gender of the person does not matter. People of any gender identity can and do identify as pansexual. Some people use the terms “ bisexual ” and “pansexual” interchangeably, but there are distinctions between the two.
Some people prefer the term “omnisexual” to “pansexual.” Some people feel that the term pansexuality implies that their attraction to people has nothing to do with gender. People who prefer the term omnisexual can be attracted to people of any gender but find that gender is still a factor in their attraction.
Both “pan” and “omni” mean “all,” and the distinction between omnisexuality and pansexuality is hazy. Some people use them interchangeably.
Bisexuality is at its core the attraction to some people of two or more genders, while pansexuality is the attraction to a person regardless of gender. Polysexuality is the attraction to people of many, but not all genders.
It is important to note that while a bisexual or pansexual person may be attracted to people of different genders or regardless of gender, this does not mean that they are automatically attracted to ALL people of those genders, just as a heterosexual woman is not necessarily attracted to ALL men.
Pansexuality and bisexuality are similar, but not quite the same. Pansexuality is broader than bisexuality, and people who identify as pansexual may be attracted to people of all genders. Bisexuality is the attraction to two or more genders, but not necessarily all. People who identify as bisexual may be pansexual, but not necessarily. Some people prefer to identify as bisexual even if they may be pansexual simply because the term “bisexual” is more commonly recognized.
Similarly, the distinction between pansexuality and polysexuality is that pansexuality is broader than polysexuality. Unlike bisexuality, polysexuality specifically implies that there are some genders to which the person is not attracted. Poly means many, but not all.
For example, someone who is polysexual may be attracted to people of every gender except for women. Meanwhile, a pansexual person my be attracted to men, women, nonbinary people, and people of any other gender identity.
Some people assume that attraction to others regardless of gender implies that pansexual people act on their attraction more frequently than others. This can lead to the stereotype that pansexual people are promiscuous . However, just as with heterosexuality or homosexuality, pansexual people are all individuals. Any given pansexual person will have their own preference for the amount of sexual activity they want, and they may also prefer to remain celibate.
Furthermore, these same stereotypes of promiscuity cause some people to accuse pansexual people of being less likely to remain monogamous. This is untrue -- pansexual people are just as likely to prefer monogamy as hetero- or homosexual people. Pansexuality is not the same thing as polyamory. The potential to be attracted to someone of any gender is not connected to a preference for multiple partners.
Pansexual people are attracted to people regardless of gender, so any given pansexual person can find themselves in a wide variety of relationships. These relationships may be “straight-passing,” or they may be obviously non-heterosexual. Regardless of their partner’s gender, a pansexual person remains pansexual - they often do not experience “straight-passing” privilege. Instead, they may experience microaggressions as their sexuality is ignored or dismissed.
As with every relationship, it’s important for anyone partnered with a pansexual person to discuss boundaries. Neither partner should make any assumptions about things such as monogamy, sexual acts , or general preferences. Every pansexual person is different, and has their own preferences. If you’re in a relationship with someone who is pansexual, it’s important to respect them and their boundaries.
While you don’t need to come out to your loved ones as pansexual, some people find it to be helpful or cathartic. If you choose to come out, you can explain pansexuality as being a natural attraction to people regardless of gender. Some pansexual activists use the phrase “Hearts, not parts” to explain this orientation. While the phrase is reductive, it can be a useful tool when talking with people who aren’t familiar with LGBTQ terminology.
If you’re talking to your loved ones about pansexuality because you have a new partner, you should talk with your partner first. If a new relationship is spurring you to come out, then you are likely dating someone else who falls under the LGBTQ+ umbrella. If you come out, you may be outing your partner as well. This disclosure can have serious effects on your partner’s life.
If your partner would prefer to remain in the closet, then you may choose to wait before coming out yourself out of respect for their privacy.
Bisexual Resource Center: “Pan & Bi: A Handy Guide.”
Deconforming: “Bisexual vs. pansexual: what’s the difference?”
National LGBTQ Task Force: “Why Outing Can Be Deadly.”
SexInfo Online (UCSB) : “Pansexuality.”
UC Davis: “Ways To Be An Ally to Nonmonosexual / Bi People.”
Washington University: “Thinking of coming out?”
© 2005 - 2022 WebMD LLC. All rights reserved.
WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

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Twenty years ago, the queer community referred to itself as the LGBT community. Now, the full acronym is LGBTQQIAAP2+. (The added letters stand for Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Ally, Pansexual, Two-spirit, and plus for the remaining labels not represented in the acronym.)
Undoubtedly, the growing number of identity labels is a lot to keep track of, but in this explainer, we’re going to focus on the P, which stands for pansexuality. In April of 2018, Janelle Monáe came out as queer and pansexual in a Rolling Stone cover story. That day, searches for the word pansexual on Merriam Webster rose by a whopping 11,000 percent, becoming the most looked up word of the day.
So what exactly is pansexuality, who are more likely to identify with the P, and how does it differ from bisexuality? Let’s break it down.
Confused? You’re not alone. Even within the LGBTQ community, people use the label “bisexual” differently. Pansexuality was birthed from this confusion. But let’s start with defining pansexual, since it has one universally-accepted definition. Pansexual simply means a person is attracted to all genders. Pan, after all, comes from the Greek prefix meaning “all.” Thus, a pansexual person would be attracted to cisgender, transgender, gender nonbinary, genderfluid, and agender folks (a person who doesn’t identify with any gender).
Now 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 groups of people: cisgender men and cisgender women. If you’re one to believe this, you may think that the term bisexual is exclusive of trans and nonbinary folks. It would also be why you’d likely prefer to use the pansexual label as opposed to identifying proudly as bi.
Here, however, is the kicker. Many folks, myself included, don’t view the “bi” in bisexual to mean that they’re attracted to only cisgender folks. Instead, we use renown bisexual activist Robyn Ochs’ definition : “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.”
With Ochs’ definition, bisexual simply means that you’re attracted to two or more genders . While this could mean you’re attracted to only cisgender men and cisgender women, you could also be like my close friend Sarah. Sarah, 28, is a cisgender woman who identifies as bisexual, and she’ll date trans men, cis and trans women, and gender nonconforming folks, but never a cisgender man. She’s a perfect example of someone who’s bisexual but not pansexual.
However, just like pansexuality, bisexuality can mean you’re attracted to all genders too, since, after all, multiple genders can also mean all genders. In fact, actress Sara Ramirez will state she identifies as both pansexual and bisexual since she is attracted to all genders. She’s not alone. Many individuals will state they identify as both to illustrate that they’re attracted to all genders. (I do this often, too!)
I know...yet another way that pansexuality is confusing, but here’s all this means: You’ll speak to some pansexual folks who will say they don’t believe in gender. My close friend, John, 24, can be heard saying “gender is a social construct” no less than ten times a day. These people see everyone simply as humans with different body parts. Body parts—or how a person expresses their gender—isn’t what’s attractive to them.
Then you’ll have folks who see gender and are actively attracted to various genders. I know I like hyper-masculine men, effeminate women, and more androgynous folks too. I also like the anatomy that comes with different sexes and find myself wanting to be sexual with different genders at various times. Hence, instead of saying, “I’m not attracted to a person’s gender, which is why I’ll date anyone,” I would say, “I’m actively attracted to all genders, which is why I’m open to date anyone.”
Due to a combination of more celebrities embracing the label and a desire to be more inclusive, younger generations are significantly more likely to identify as pansexual rather than bisexual. It also makes sense that someone who spent years to finally embrace the bisexual label wouldn’t want to throw it away for a new one, especially if they feel as if bisexuality denotes their attraction to all genders.
Yet, like Janelle Monáe, you’ll have folks who initially identify as bisexual, but then do in fact decide to change their sexual orientation to pansexual because they feel it’s more inclusive of everyone.
Just because you have the capacity to be sexually attracted to everyone, doesn’t mean that you want to have sex with everyone. “We still have standards,” John explained to me, when I asked him about his pansexuality. “And as for this idea that I’m more likely to cheat? Have you met straight people? They cheat all the damn time. So do gays. So does everyone. I don’t, but that has nothing to do with being pan. I’m just not a shitty person.”
Bi and pan people, however, are more likely to be polyamorous. Most academic studies tend to lump bi and pansexual folks together, making it difficult to parse out some of the data, but the current data show that bi and pan folks are significantly more likely to be polyamorous or otherwise ethically non-monogamous than straight folks.
Okay, am I biased? Perhaps. But I will say that in my experience, pansexual folks are often extremely open-minded and some of the kindest, most big-hearted people I know!
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pan·sex·u·al

| \ ˌpan-ˈsek-sh(ə-)wəl

, -shəl \

1

: of, relating to, or characterized by sexual or romantic attraction that is not limited to people of a particular gender identity or sexual orientation

Pansexual people are attracted to all kinds of people, regardless of their gender, sex or presentation. — Farhana Khan

also

: not solely gay (see gay entry 1 sense 1a ) or straight (see straight entry 1 sense 3h )

The famous 0-6 scale … was devised to chart sexual proclivities, from purely heterosexual (0) to purely homosexual (6). Kinsey felt humans are pansexual (most falling somewhere between 0 and 6), and restrictions imposed by society and religion lead to sexual maladjustments. — Lisa C. Hickman

2

: tending to suffuse all experience and conduct with erotic feeling

Although Whitman's impulses were homoerotic, he was pansexual in the sense that he could find the driving force of something such as sex in almost everything … — Peter Craven

A pansexual is someone who can be attracted to males, females, transgender people and those who identify as non-binary (not female or male).

— Mel Evans

"I am pansexual," he [Chris Stuckmann] admitted towards the end of the 56-minute clip. "If you don't know what pansexuality is, essentially you are attracted to all genders, and that's me."

— Sam Damshenas

The flag that represents people who are attracted to all genders, or pansexual , was designed by Jasper V in 2010, who posted it to tumblr.

—

Lizz Schumer, Good Housekeeping , 16 May 2022

In the episode centered in Evansville, Ind., Eureka was paired with Duke, then a pastor at the Newburgh United Methodist Church, who appeared on the show in support of his daughter who is pansexual .

—

Jillian Sederholm, EW.com , 15 Apr. 2022

The podcast team also interviewed Letty Martinez, the lead singer of the brash Chicanx punk band Fea, who identifies as pansexual .

—

Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone , 31 Mar. 2022

Fan-favorite Chloe, an autistic woman who is also deaf and identifies as pansexual , is back for a second chance at love.

—

NBC News , 28 Dec. 2021

The pastor, named Rev. Craig Duke, did it in support of his daughter, who identifies as pansexual .

—

Michelle Shen, USA TODAY , 14 Dec. 2021

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These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pansexual.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback .

1914, in the meaning defined at sense 2
From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
Merriam-Webster's Words of the Year 2018
Our Word of the Year justice, plus 10 more
Lookups rise 11,000% after Rolling Stone interview
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Lookups for 'pansexual' spiked after Cyrus's most recent discussion of the term
“Pansexual.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pansexual. Accessed 11 Jul. 2022.
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