Pansexuality - a fad or a tangible sexuality?
 

As it says in the title.

Any reason in particular why you went with the first option Shaun? Not that I disagree.

I've always felt pansexuality is a superfluous continuation of bisexuality; it rests on the idea of falling for someone or being attracted to someone regardless of their gender - and puts emphasis on non-binary, trans or intersex individuals... but I've always felt that to differentiate this from bisexuality is sort of a middle-finger to everyone who's ever identified as "bisexual" in the past as if they're bigoted and unwilling to be attracted to such people.

I think the key word is "sex" in sexual, and whilst there are absolutely a ton of valid gender identities, there are only two sexes and bisexual therefore covers all aspects. I have no problem with people clarifying what they mean by when they say they're bisexual, and I guess I don't really care if someone says they're "pan", but I just take umbridge with the implication that anyone who's bi is transphobic or adheres to concrete gender norms. I also think "pansexuality" has, ironically, itself become an umbrella term for a bunch of different-minded people; to some, being pan goes hand in hand with polyamory, whilst others would be monogamous, and it's differences like that that make the term just a bit meaningless in my eyes.

They’re two different things and there’s a lot of ppl who do make the distinction even tho it’s not that important but there’s a lot of ppl who call themselves bisexual where pansexuality more accurately applies to them.

I suppose it depends on what your understanding of the term sexual orientation is, my understanding of it is which sex you're attracted to, therefore there can only by 4 different sexual orientations - Same sex, Opposite sex, both sexes or neither sex. Anything other than that would fall under personal attractions/who you're attracted to/how you date people but that would still fall under one of those 4 categories....if that makes sense?

It’s just bisexuality for people who want to sound different

I think its just a way for people to feel important

What a ridiculous thread. Of course they're different.

Yes that makes sense. You've explained it well Niamh. Thats how I see it.

If they feel like that is their sexuality, then that’s none of my business

It’s not ridiculous if so many people question it. We’re not talking hard science here, just labels.

People's choices are their own, if someone identifies as pansexual than power to them BUT, I do think that pansexuality is bisexuality by another name without the negative stigma of bisexuality.

A lot of the indentifiers of pansexuality also applies to other sexualities. A straight person can have sex with a trans person and still be straight, same with gay or bisexual people sleeping with a trans person because I recognise trans people as simply being the gender they have transitioned to. Suggesting that other sexualities are more binary and more focused on physical attraction is also demeaning to other people, since one thing I always hear is that pansexual people fall in love with people and not genders which just suggests that everyone else has less meaningful relationships by default.

Pansexuality is essentially just bisexuality without any preferences.

This is their sexuality and no one has to judge it or define it but themselves. Love is love, and that's where it's at.
Be whoever you feel like being, as long as it's done with consent and not harming children/animals.

Not all, I know I'm not at least. Proud bi and really had sex with pretty much all sexualities out there :laugh: But yeah, this is a known problem in the LGBT+ community in regards to "other" forms of sexualities. We really sometimes are our worst ennemy. I think it's down to education and learning what is what and who is who. It really isn't complicated to understand and not judge others for who/what they are attracted to.

To be fair, all sexualities (or rather, "sexual orientations") are no more or less tangible than any other. And there's a reason for that! The idea of having a "sexual orientation" is itself a discursive production, not an inherent truth (see: The History of Sexuality). A few hundred years ago sex was something one did, now it defines who you are.

That's not to say they aren't real, or are illegitimate, or that people choose who or what they're attracted to (this is really important), but it's worth remembering that literally all sexual orientations, are, in essence (and for want of a better phrase), "made up". So does it really matter?

Also, that's not to mention the fact that there are so many different facets to one's own sexuality, and yet we just use gender for definitional purposes. Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick's Epistemology of the Closet is well worth a read on this subject. Will change ya life, trust!

TLDR: live and let live, none of it really matters

It's bisexuality.

So you think everyone’s at least a little bit bisexual?

Nah it's just bisexuality with a silly label.

Sexuality is based on sex, and there are two sexes.

Even if someone has an intersex condition, they still appear to be male or female, and will attract people based on that.

I figured I might as well bump this since there’s a discussion about this overfilling in the other thread.

I always took pansexual to mean you can be attracted to everybody and don’t see gender or anything like that. Bisexual means that you’re attracted to women and you’re attracted to men. There’s a difference to me but idk if I can explain it properly.

This is what it is and you would see a trans person as a trans woman/man and wouldn't call them man or woman but your the tern trans with pansexuality any gender is what you are attracted to and you wouldn't need to say your seeing a trans woman you would just call them a woman

Also the same people to attack pansexuals for who they are and call them attention seekers or whatever are usually the first to say we should accept everyone for whi they are

you're all such disappointments

That's still being attracted to both sexes though :shrug:

I think the implication is that a pansexual person wouldn't be averse to "non-binary"/transgendered relations whereas a bisexual's attracted to the two orthodox sexes. Whatever your thoughts about self-identifying non-binary people you can't deny that transgender and intersexual shades do exist. One of them by nature.