Over the years, there have been so many discussions concerning different sexual identities like straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual, sapiosexual, etc. However, we really don’t know that much about pansexuality.
However, there are pansexual among us. What is pansexual then? How do I know whether I’m a pansexual or not? Today we are going to discuss pansexuality precisely, yet comprehensively. We will also talk about the top 3 sings of pansexuality. Let’s know more about pansexuality…
What is pansexuality?
The word pansexual came from the prefix pan, which is originated from the Ancient Greek word for “all, every”. In 1917, the words pansexual and pansexual were attested for the first time to highlight the importance of the sex instinct in all human activities.
Pansexual refers to those people who are attracted, be it sexually, romantically, or emotionally, to all the people irrespective of their sex or gender identities.
Put simply, you can call these people gender-blind as well as there is no significance of gender in determining their sexual or romantic attraction to others.
Merriam Webster defines this sexual identity as, “of, relating to, or characterized by sexual or romantic attraction that is not limited to people of a particular gender identity or sexual orientation“.
Nowadays, pensexuality, as it indicates a different and totally unique sexual identity, is being considered as a sexual orientation, both as to its own right and sometimes as a branch of bisexuality.
Some people also consider it as a more inclusive term than bisexual. The reason behind this is its rejection of gender binary; as pansexual people are also open to relationships with people, both men and women, but they don’t identify as strictly men or women.
Top 3 signs of penesexuality:
Actually, there is no surefire test to determine the people of this sexual identity. However, there are some signs that might tell you whether you are one of them or not. Here are are the top 3 signs you can look out for:
1. Other labels like just don’t feel right:
If you are obvious that the terms like “bisexual” just don’t feel right to describe your personality. This is one of the most significant signs of your being a pansexual.
You might be attracted to multiple genders, but it doesn’t include all genders. Therefore, the term “bisexual” doesn’t describe you actually. And this could be a very good sign.
2. You’re attracted to people irrespective of gender:
According to the sex therapist Rae McDaniel, the term pansexuality was born to talk about attractions to people of many different genders.
If the situation is such that you are attracted to people of all genders irrespective of their sex or gender, and you can develop an attraction to people even if you don’t know gender identity, this is an extremely obvious good sign you might be a pansexual.
3. You feel comfortable with the label:
Eventually, the thing that matters the most is your own thoughts and comfort. If you are comfortable with defining yourself using this term, only it may suffice to define you as such.
It may take a few experimentation and time. Eventually, you will find out whether this term fits you or not. If it is totally okay with you, it is also a very good sign.
The famous 0-6 scale:
Heterosexual–Homosexual Rating Scale or the Kinsey scale came out with amazing information about pansexuality. Kinsey used this scale to describe person’s sexual orientation.
He did his research based on one’s experience or response at a given time. The scale was devised from purely heterosexual (0) to purely homosexual (6).
According to Kinsey, humans are mostly pansexual as he found most people to fall somewhere between 0 and 6. Kinsey also added that the restrictions that societies impose eventually lead to sexual maladjustment. Otherwise, we could see the real picture ourselves.
Pansexual VS Bisexual:
Very often we mix up things between pansexuality and bisexuality. Even after being two totally different sexual orientations, they may overlap very easily, if you don’t know the differences.
As we mentioned already, the former refers to the people who attracted to people regardless of gender or sex. While the latter refers to people who are attracted to two or more genders. Remember, two or more gender and not irrespective of gender or sex; these mark the difference actually.
You will find that the people in the LGBTQ+ community sometimes use these terms very fluidly. It is also obvious that some bisexual people describe their bisexuality as the attraction to the same gender and other genders. While some others who self-identify as bisexual describe their bisexuality as the attraction to people of all genders.
To sum up, a bisexual person could be attracted to both men and women, too another gender. They could also be attracted to a few different genders or just about all genders. This is all about bisexuality.
The main difference between these two is that the former is being attracted to people of all types, doesn’t matter what their gender or sex is. While the latter is being attracted to people of multiple genders, which may or may not include all genders.
Practically, a pansexual and a bisexual person could be attracted to the exact same types of people. Maybe that’s why some people also consider the former as one of the forms of the latter.
