Pansexual and Bisexual Sexual Orientation Idenity- a look at the relationship between Pansexual and  Bisexual Sexual Orientation.

A pansexual is commonly defined as someone with the ability to be sexually and/or romantically attracted to a person of any gender identity or sex. I sometimes hear pansexuality described as being attracted to the person and not the gender. The pansexual sexual orientation is often used to highlight non-binary attraction. Bisexuality has a wide variety of ways people can be bisexual and in similar ways pansexuality can mean different things to different people.

It is important for the person not familiar with bisexuality or pansexuality to understand that for many bisexual people pansexuality is simply a type of bisexuality. The “convertible” car, the “evangelical” Christian , and the “laptop” computer are all ways of further defining broad categories. . I propose the “pansexual” bisexual is simply another example of further defining the broader term of bisexual. It is totally appropriate for me to say I am bisexual even as I would also call myself pansexual in the same way I might say I took my car to the garage instead of I took my convertible to the garage.

There is a belief by some that pansexuality is a different sexual orientation then bisexuality whereas I understand it to simply be a type of bisexuality. Our sexual orientation can be very individual in nature and we each have the right to define and label ourselves as we choose. That said there are ongoing issues with the pansexual label because some describe being pansexual as being mutually exclusive of the bisexual sexual orientation. These are the “I’m not bisexual I’m pansexual” group. Others consider themselves bisexual because they are pansexual , The “My being pansexual is simply my type of bisexuality” group. These two groups with incompatible thoughts have caused a lot of heartache and hurt feelings in the bisexual and pansexual community. I am bisexual exactly because I have the ability to be attracted to someone without regard to their sex or gender identity. In addition to binary male female attraction I am also attracted to a wide range of non-binary gender presentations.

Revisiting my discussion of broad classifications all convertibles are cars but not all cars are convertibles, in the same way all pansexuals are bisexuals but not all bisexuals are pansexual. To me as well as many knowledgeable educators the bi in bisexual does not mean attraction to only the male of female binary it means more than one gender or sex however that presents itself. To many bisexuals, the definition of bisexuality and pansexuality is the same.

Many years ago when I looked at whether I wanted to further define my bisexual orientation with the pansexual label I decided I prefer the broader bisexual label to identify who I am but I need to be clear that my bisexuality includes all of the rich tapestry of gender identities. Some people choose to highlight that they are pansexual in their bisexuality. It is important to understand that I view my bisexual label as a fully inclusive sexual orientation.

One emerging solution to including those pansexuals who prefer the idea of their sexual orientation being different from bisexuality is moving the bisexual umbrella up a level. This is the Bi+ sexual orientation that we are starting to see included in the LGBT alphabets of gender identity and sexual orientation. In any case it is important to recognize the rich tapestry of our sexuality and understand we can be bisexual in a multitude of different ways. It can be complicated but we need to be as  kind and inclusive as possible as we celebrate our differences and build bridges to our simularities..