ok you know what, here are my thoughts on this whole bi/pan lesbian thing:

first of all, bi/pan lesbian is redundant to me. bi/pan identities already imply an attraction to the same sex. homosexuality exists in those labels already. what does adding “lesbian” do?

(btw it is my personal opinion that we should have terms for bisexuals who are attracted to genders that aren’t on the binary, but for the purposes of this thread, i’m going to stick with bisexual = homosexual and heterosexual attraction)

nobody says “gay bisexual” or “gay pansexual” because it’s redundant. we know you’re attracted to the same sex if you say you’re bisexual or pansexual. similarly, it’s also redundant to say “straight bisexual” or “straight pansexual”

i would honestly argue that calling a bisexual/pansexual “gay” or “lesbian” or “straight” INVALIDATES the labels “bisexual” and “pansexual,” because when you identify as one of those two, it implies a unique type of attraction to a certain combination or multitude of genders

it would be incorrect (from a definitional standpoint) to call a bi/pansexual “gay” or “straight” because it doesn’t give the whole picture. it doesn’t completely describe the whole identity. in a way, it’s erasure.

“but lesbian as only wlw attraction was created to exclude bisexuals and pansexuals by terfs” okay, well that sucks! but now, 50 years later, “lesbian” has come to mean something different. the definition and purpose has changed with time. it’s a unique identity now.

moreover, bisexuals and pansexuals are no longer excluded by the lgbt community as a whole, and in fact exist as their own separate valid identities. which is great! because they are valid. so why can’t homosexual women have their own unique identity?

calling someone who is attracted to men a “lesbian” now implies that all lesbians have an attraction to men, which is not true. if you want to use “lesbian” the same way some people use “gay,” then strictly homosexual women should be able to have their own unique label

“you’re so up your own ass about labels” ok well so are you low key. sorry! the connotations are different. “gay” and “lesbian” are different. it’s just what it is

either way, i don’t actually care what you call yourself. that’s up for YOU to decide. i think my biggest issue is the fact that lesbians now don’t have a label they can use themselves. lesbians are constantly harassed by men bc “it’s impossible for a woman to not be—

—attracted to men!!” and now, that idea becomes more prevalent with “bi/pan lesbian”

again, i ask you this: what does adding “lesbian” to “bi/pansexual” do? what does it prove? why do you need it??