What is the difference between bisexuality and pansexuality?
A Spanish translation of this article is now available: ¿Cuál es la diferencia entre bisexualidad y pansexualidad?
It might be Bi Visibility Day, with the focus on “Bi” but that is meant to be an umbrella term. Bi+ is another way to express the group under which various identities along the bi lines might exist. However, to not include the right terms when needed, to not use someone else’s word for themselves, would be hypocritical. I mean, how often does the B get grouped, wrongly, under Gay? Too often. We bi+ people are a unique and specific group. And so are pansexual people.
So here is a quick guide for anyone who is unclear, what we mean when we say bisexual or pansexual.
Bisexual is the attraction to more than one gender
Bisexuality is commonly misunderstood as the attraction to two genders. Because of this, it is seen as playing into the binary idea of gender, that there are only two options, men and women, males and females. This isn’t true for many bisexuals.
Bisexuals define our sexuality as attraction to more than one gender. So while a heterosexual person might only be attracted to someone of a different gender, often seen as the “opposite gender”, and a homosexual person is attracted to someone of the same gender, a bisexual person could seem themselves as attracted to both.
But therein lies the limitation. Bi people can be attracted to those who are non-binary as well, and so it’s not about two genders, it’s about more than one gender.
Pansexual is attraction regardless of gender
Pansexuality then is defined as attraction regardless of gender, which for people who choose to identify as such, can feel more inclusive than the term bisexual. In particular because, since pansexual is a less well known term, it can feel more nuanced, and also doesn’t get mistaken for including a nod to the binary.
For pansexual people, the gender identity of the person is not what attracts them or defines their attraction. That is also what they have in common with bisexual folks.
Neither bisexuality or pansexuality is exclusionary of transgender people
One of the most pervasive misconceptions about bisexuality is that bisexuals are not attracted to trans people, or that in some way their sexuality is aiming to exclude trans people. This erases the instances where a trans person is bisexual, or pansexual.
The same applies to non-binary people who identify as bisexual or pansexual. Their gender identity as non-binary does not stop them from being able to identify as bi or pan, nor does it prevent them from being attracted to bi, pan, straight or gay identifying folks.
We have to be clear when we talk about bisexuality, that we are not speaking attraction to only cisgender people (those who identify as the gender they were assigned at birth).
There is no correct amount of bisexual/pansexual
Fun fact: you can identify as bisexual AND pansexual, or one or the other (or neither). One is not exclusive of the other. In the same way, some identify as bisexual and queer. There is also no correct way to be bisexual or pansexual. Your sexual actions, the number of attractions you have, neither of these make your more of less bi or pan.
If you need a good reference for this, here is a graphic from Anna Borges that says it all really:
Bisexual and…
As a final note, if you are someone who already knows that they identify as bisexual or pansexual, you can also identify with other terms within the queer community. You could be pansexual and queer, bisexual and asexual. Biromatic and pansexual. The words are all out there for you to choose, or not, based on how you want to identify.
