{"id":929,"date":"2020-03-06T11:51:33","date_gmt":"2020-03-06T11:51:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/?p=929"},"modified":"2023-03-23T16:52:07","modified_gmt":"2023-03-23T16:52:07","slug":"pansexuality-what-does-it-mean-to-be-pansexual","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/pansexuality-what-does-it-mean-to-be-pansexual\/","title":{"rendered":"Pansexuality: What does it mean to be pansexual?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With the topic of sexual orientation ever present in the media, the term <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">pansexual<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is one many of us will likely have heard at some point.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yet, though pansexuality is receiving more coverage, there are still many people (including those in the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/lgbtiq-acronyms-explained-a-complete-glossary-of-common-terms\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">LGBTQ+ community<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) confused by the term, not quite understanding what it really means to identify as pansexual.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#what-does-being-pansexual-mean?\">What does being pansexual mean?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#the-history-behind-pansexuality\">The history behind pansexuality<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#celebrities-who-identify-as-pansexual\">Celebrities who identify as pansexual<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#dispelling-the-myths-about-pansexuality\">Dispelling the myths about pansexuality<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#is-pansexuality-the-same-as-bisexuality?\">Is pansexuality the same as bisexuality?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#further-support-and-advice\">Further support and advice<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b><i><br \/>\nHere, Vivastreet offers an explanation of the term pansexual while providing a little insight into its history. We also aim to dispel those most common myths that shroud pansexuality.<\/i><\/b><br \/>\n<a name=\"what-does-being-pansexual-mean?\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>What does being pansexual mean?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Quite simply, being<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pansexuality\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">pansexual is defined as<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> being sexually, romantically, or emotionally attracted to someone regardless of that person\u2019s sex, gender, or how they identify.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Traditional \u2018man\u2019 and \u2018woman\u2019 genders no longer cover all of the gender identities that now exist, thus there are a wide scope of identities and gender options that people now identify with.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This recognition of gender fluidity can be seen through various companies and their gender options. Facebook offers at <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/technology\/facebook\/10637968\/Facebook-sex-changes-which-one-of-50-genders-are-you.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">least 50<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> options for users to select. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A person who identifies as \u2018pansexual\u2019 does not pay attention to gender binary.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This means they can be attracted to anyone that is cisgender, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/gay-and-lesbian\/gb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">bigender<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, agender, gender-fluid, gender-neutral, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/trans-escorts\/gb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">transgender<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, intersex, and androgynous.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For this reason, many pansexual people refer to themselves as <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">gender-blind<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You may also hear pansexuality referred to as <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">omnisexuality<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Regardless of how each person likes to refer to this way of life, pansexuality ultimately means placing no restrictions (gender, sexuality) on who you\u2019re attracted to.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\nA <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/intelligence.wundermanthompson.com\/2015\/05\/data-point-generation-z-and-gender\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">report by Wunderman Thompson<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, found gender and sexual identity was the most progressive with Gen Z. According to the findings, 82% of young people were less likely to care about gender and sexuality.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\nLikewise, in a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/yougov.co.uk\/topics\/lifestyle\/articles-reports\/2015\/08\/16\/half-young-not-heterosexual\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">YouGov study<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, British adults were asked to place themselves on the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/kinseyinstitute.org\/research\/publications\/kinsey-scale.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kinsey scale<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, where 1 in 12 young people said they were not 100% heterosexual. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"the-history-behind-pansexuality\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><b>The history behind pansexuality<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What often surprises people is how the term pansexual is, in fact, not a new one. It can be traced back to the Greeks, whereby the prefix of \u2018<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">pan\u2019<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> translates as \u2018all.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From here on, experts suggest the term pansexual was mentioned as early as 1917, with Sigmund Freud himself taking the credit for this.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Furthermore, during the 1970s, the first few signs of those claiming to identify as pansexual began to emerge. During this time the term was similar to the way pansexuality is referred to today. It\u2019s only in recent years that pansexuality has caught the attention of the mainstream media.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2015 the term began to trend on many a search engine, when singer Miley Cyrus in an <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.elle.com\/uk\/life-and-culture\/news\/a27013\/miley-cyrus-elle-uk-october-2015\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">exclusive interview<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, publicly came out as \u2018pansexual\u2019.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"celebrities-who-identify-as-pansexual\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><b>Celebrities who identify as pansexual<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perhaps the most prolific of celebrities openly identifying as pansexual has been Janelle <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mon\u00e1e. The American singer has been the most vocal of supporters of pansexuality, offering some much-needed publicity to the term in the process.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yet, alongside Janelle\u2019s candid confessions through, many other well-known personalities have stepped forward laying claims to identifying this way too. These include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Miley Cyrus &#8211; US popstar<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brendon Urie \u2013 Lead vocalist of Panic! at the Disco<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tess Holliday \u2013 American model<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Joe Lycett &#8211; Comedian<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Angel Haze \u2013 American rapper<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Laci Green \u2013 American YouTuber<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kate Dillion \u2013 Orange Is the New Black star<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kristen Stewart &#8211; Hollywood film star<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bella Thorne \u2013 American actress<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/life-style\/love-sex\/pansexual-definition-meaning-what-is-explained-bisexual-layla-moran-a9268546.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Layla Moran<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2013 MP for Liberal Democrats<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/av\/world-europe-38212058\/100-women-2016-christine-and-the-queens-on-being-pansexual?SThisFB=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">H\u00e9lo\u00efse Letissier<\/a> &#8211; of Christine and the Queens fame<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a name=\"dispelling-the-myths-about-pansexuality\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><b>Dispelling the myths about pansexuality<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As with all other types of sexual orientations, pansexuality, too, brings with it many myths.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Myth:<\/b> <strong><i>Pansexual people are sexually attracted to everyone they meet\u2026<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because pansexuality is accepting of every identity, many assume pansexual people will fall for every single person they meet. However, being pansexual does not mean being attracted to every single person you come across in a day.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Myth:<\/b> <strong><i>Pansexual people are extremely more sexually active\u2026<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because being pansexual refers to an attraction of a wide range of other identities, it\u2019s also incorrectly classed as the more promiscuous of orientations. Yet in no way are pansexual people overly sexually active. For some, it\u2019s all about the mere attraction, whether it be emotionally or romantically, and for others it\u2019s about the sexual attraction. In fact, many people who are in committed long-term relationships now find they can openly admit to identifying as pansexual, without the need to act any further on it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Myth:<\/b> <strong><i>Those referring to themselves as pansexual are just confused about their sexuality\u2026<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A comment often made to anyone declaring their sexual orientation, pansexual people too experience negative comments on their way of living. For many identifying as pansexual, however, this term finally identifies them and the feelings they\u2019ve harboured for many years. The problem here often lies with those who don\u2019t quite understand pansexuality, as opposed to those who are clear enough and confident enough to label themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Myth: <\/b><strong><i>Pansexual people are attracted to pans\u2026<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Several people coming out as pansexual will encounter this long-running joke. They may also find themselves having to explain that pansexuality isn\u2019t about having relations with frying pans. We know&#8230; However, for many, this is one joke that has long passed its sell-by-date.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"is-pansexuality-the-same-as-bisexuality?\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><b>Is pansexuality the same as bisexuality?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Though often referred to alongside bisexuality, being pansexual is <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/what-being-bisexual-actually-means\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">not the same as being bisexual<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yet, this doesn\u2019t stop people labelling them together and placing them in the same category \u2013 and this includes those <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/exploring-your-sexuality-as-lgbtq\/\">members of the LGBT+ community<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So how do they differ? <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As explained above, pansexuality is the definition used to describe a person who is attracted to all gender identities. Gender plays no role in a person\u2019s sexuality. There are sexual or romantic feelings <\/span><b>despite <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">gender.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The definition of bisexuality can differ depending on the person. However, in essence, bisexuality is used to describe someone who is attracted to the same gender, <\/span><b>and <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">different genders, including those who identify as non-binary. People who identify as bisexual are attracted to two or more genders.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"further-support-and-advice\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><b>Further support and advice<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Though it\u2019s not yet possible to gather much data on the exact number of people identifying as pansexual, the numbers of people proudly identifying as pansexual are certainly growing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is in part due to celebrities and other well-known people coming forward with their experiences, alongside more publicity generated in the media on the discussion of pansexuality.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For those looking to access organisations that deal exclusively with pansexuality, unfortunately, there aren\u2019t yet many offering <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">specific<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> pansexual guidance and support only. But, hopefully, with the rise in the number of pansexual people, this will soon change.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Currently, there are several helpful LGBT+ organisations where pansexuality is further recognised. These include:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stonewall.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stonewall<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/lgbt.foundation\/about-us\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">LGBT Foundation<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mind.org.uk\/information-support\/tips-for-everyday-living\/lgbtiqplus-mental-health\/about-lgbtiqplus-mental-health\/#.XdJ__lf7Tcv\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mind<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Finally, there is a dedicated Pansexual Visibility Day organised annually on May 24<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">th<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Held to not only recognise those identifying as pansexual but ultimately celebrate it, this is perhaps one of the most important dates for the pansexual community, and one certainly worth marking on the calendar.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With the topic of sexual orientation ever present in the media, the term pansexual is one many of us will likely have heard at some point. Yet, though pansexuality is receiving more coverage, there are still many people (including those in the LGBTQ+ community) confused by the term, not quite understanding what it really means [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":931,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"CBBTypography":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[223],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-929","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sex-and-relationships"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/929","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=929"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/929\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/931"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=929"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=929"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=929"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=929"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}