What is pansexual?
Pansexual is a type of sexuality which is often considered to sit under the bisexual umbrella.
Bisexuality is the attraction to two or more genders, while pansexual is attraction regardless of gender.
As a pansexual person, gender is never part of my consideration when I’m falling in love. Personally, if they have nice eyes, nice hair, and will have a good conversation about topics I care about, I’m willing to consider dating them!
Why is it important to recognise pansexuality?
The pansexual community, alongside the rest of the bisexual community, often face discrimination both from the LGBT+ community and from people outside it. I’ve had individuals tell me I’m “basically straight”, then later the same day been called homophobic slurs.
The amount of saucepan jokes I’ve received is more than enough for a lifetime.
I’ve never had to question my sexuality – as a child, I recognised I was attracted to a variety of individuals. But growing up in the 2000s did mean I faced insecurity with being open and honest about who I was. Section 28 even now still has lasting impacts.
How can you be supportive?
By remembering that sexuality is fluid, and often more complex than we want it to be, we can be more inclusive of pansexuality, alongside other sexualities too. Not everyone feels like you do, and using gender neutral pronouns when referring to dating and recognising plenty of people won’t end up in a different sex relationship is important.
As a child, if I had a friend who was a boy, plenty of comments would be made, and in hindsight, this is a bit weird! Even now, people will read into friendships I have with men far more than other genders, even with my greater confidence in reminding people I’m pansexual.
We’re not going anywhere
Even under Section 28, and other dark areas of history for LGBT+ people, we still existed. Much like most other diverse groups and areas, denial of our existence simply encourages us to hide, and has impacts on our health but not our identities. You probably know someone who is pansexual, and almost definitely know someone who is under the bisexual umbrella! We’re just like heterosexuals or homosexuals, the only difference is, gender is less relevant to us.