Common question time, Bi and Pan…”What is the difference between Bisexuality and Pansexuality???! I don’t get it!?”

First, don’t feel ashamed or worried if you are one of those who didn’t get this. Or if you are one of those asking, in fact, the kiddo suggested today’s topic at hand. And to be completely honest, it is even debated within the LGBTQ+ Community. But, I am going to do my best to define, based upon my education, reading, and my own sexuality.

Just remember these are not the end all be all. If you are here for your own clarity, do not feel like you have to lock yourself into a category just be what I say. Go by what feels right to you!

*Additional clarification– as I go about this article, I am strictly referring to the Romantic Sexuality Terms when discussing Bi and Pan. The romantic attraction is looking at not the gender terms of “Bigender” or Pan meaning “Omnigender.” Hope that helps.

At the most Basic, Commonly accepted Definitions:

Bisexual – Being attracted to two or more genders.

Pansexual – Capable of being attracted to any or all gender(s).

The overlap comes from being attracted to more then 1 gender.

As I said before, the community is always growing and changing in defining. Do not feel excluded or “wrong” just because these definitions don’t align specifically with your self-identity or what you thought was it. This is just a basic guide to help you.

We are all learning, and adapting. The truth of the matter is until I even learned of “Pansexual” I just thought I was a really good “Ally” with some minor attraction outside of social straight norms.

…or as commonly phrased and associated with “Pansexual,” hearts, not parts. Attraction is more the personality or aesthetic rather than their gender identity.

Don’t get me wrong, Bi can absolutely love more than 2 genders, but at the root of its existence, and even the root of the word is “bi” meaning “two.” The term was stemmed from the Binary.

See genders, love genders, based on bi’s definition and what I’ve come to understand it’s more gender-based kind of attraction. Where I believe Pan looks more past the ascribed gender-ing. And the term “pan” meaning “all” in its creation of the term.

Neither of these is are at all a negative thing for Bi or Pan. It is just how people like myself see the classification of the two sexualities. These are also the root of the words that created their labels.

I tend to think of it more like which weighs more, what is your initial romantic attraction to? Do you notice or see gender first? Does the gender hold more weight into deciding, is it a non-factor?

In my personal case, my Pansexual stance is more of a romantic than a sexual attraction for sure. I also tend to look at it more as a fluidity thing than linear. I have never identified as “Bi” (though having some history with same-sex or same-sex attraction). For me, it was never a gender preference with the same-sex. That attraction had always been based more on something other than gender factors; more of a personality thing, if that makes sense. Even the crushes throughout my life had been very non-gender conforming, so to me, the discovery of “Pansexual” just clicked more.

But truly the labels are really based on a preference. It is also possible to identify as both or a mix of terms (including lesbian). There is literally no one right way of interpreting ones romantic-sexual identity.

By the way, not to make things more confusing or complicated, but there are even terms “Trisexual” or “Trysexual”…but for that, I recommend a whole another lesson. Short though, Trisexual – romantic attraction to 3 genders. Trysexual – attraction to experimenting, openness.

HA! So welcome to the ever-evolving study of Human Sexuality.

If you want more, I highly recommend checking out The ABC’s of LGBTQ+ by Ashley Mardell! This book has a more in-depth defining of the community and culture. A whole definition section for many LGBTQ+ terms and it is about the most closely aligned book to this post. Most importantly, it’s also the most up to date book I have come across. It’s also great if you need real-life applications to grasp concepts. Lots of personal stories of the LGBTQ+ community to help a person visualize and contemplate.

Additional Links to Checkout-

• This Discussion from The Advocate
• FindATopDoc.com for a Good Infographic
• Celebrity Opinion Piece from GLAAD
• And there is about a million fun topic thread of this on Reddit