(Because pansexual folks are attracted to all genders, they fall into the “or more” category).
Both, for example, include attraction to two or more genders. Why does everyone lump pansexual and bisexual together?Ī few reasons! But before we get into them, let’s define bisexuality.Ī common definition of bisexuality says it’s the potential for attraction - romantically, emotionally, or sexually - to people of more than one gender, not necessarily at the same time, in the same way, or to the same degree.Īs you can see, the two orientations are similar. “I just happen to be attracted to women, men, nonbinary folks, gender-fluid folks,” and so on. “Someone’s gender does play a role in my attraction,” says Jordan, a 30-year-old in Dallas, TX. “It all comes down to their personality and vibe.”īill, 21, of New York City, offers a similar sentiment: “I identify as pansexual because gender isn’t a defining feature in who I want to date, sleep with, or romance.”īut that’s not true for all pansexual folks. “Gender, genitals, and sex have no barring on who I’m attracted to,” says Rachel, a 29-year-old living in Hartford, CT.
Some pansexual people say their orientation has nothing to do with gender. That pan-phobic assumption is as absurd as thinking a straight woman is attracted to every single man on the planet. The key phrase here is “ potential for attraction.” Someone who is pansexual is NOT attracted to every single human on the planet. Like all gender and sexuality identifiers, the definition of pansexual varies based on who’s giving the definition, says Jesse Kahn, LCSW-R, CST, the director and sex therapist at the Gender & Sexuality Therapy Center in New York Cityīecause the prefix “pan” means all, a common definition of pansexual reads: The potential for attraction -romantically, emotionally, or sexually - to people of all genders, or to people all across the gender spectrum, says longtime sex educator Searah Deysach, the owner of Early to Bed, a pleasure product company in Chicago that ships worldwide. First things first: What’s the exact definition?