pansexuality education, the difference between bi and pan, and debunking miseducation from a transgender pansexual

before we start, i’m not open to discourse on this topic, but if you would like my resources pls dm me personally!

pansexuality is a sexual orientation for people who are attracted to all genders and have no gender preference. to rephrase, identifying as pansexual means that gender plays no role in that person’s sexuality and that they don’t have a preference for one gender over another.

bisexuals are attracted to two or more genders, and most of the time they have a preference, but not always.

“bisexuality is a complete and fluid identity. do not assume that bisexuality is binary. in fact, don’t assume that there are only two genders.”
- Bisexual Manifest 1990

again,

bisexuals like all genders & have a gender preference most of the time, but not all.

pansexuals have no preference. we don’t prefer any gender over another.

they are different sexualities and both are valid. they coexist and don’t erase each other so there’s no reason for invalidation towards any of them. they are not competing.

both orientations refer to liking all genders (bi people don’t always have a preference and can just prefer that term. whatever term makes them most comfortable to use is valid.)

these two sexualities are often mixed up. not many people understand the difference.

a lot of panphobes say pansexuals should just identify as bisexual. here’s why that’s invalidating and wrong.

telling someone who
identities as pan that they
are “just bi” is very harmful. pansexuals are often told that they identify that way bc they want to be “special.” it’s completely bigoted and ignorant.

in reality, the pansexual label highlights having no preference. it makes us more comfortable to use, and we aren’t hurting anyone by using that microlabel. everyone who IDs as pan can fit under the bi label, but not everyone is bi can fit under the pan label.

many sources claim that pansexuality includes trans and nonbinary people and bisexuality doesn’t which is utterly false. those assumptions make bisexuality look transphobic which is why people think pansexuality is biphobic.

the “hearts, not parts” slogan is also very harmful phrase that people link with pansexuality. that sexualizes bisexuality and once again makes bisexuality look transphobic. do not use that phrase.

people also say “pansexuality includes men, women, non binary people, and trans people while bisexuality includes men and women!”

this is misinformation that is incredibly biphobic and transphobic. this statment is telling nonbinary people they can only date pansexuals.

it is excluding non binary people’s attraction and forcing the idea that non binary is a 3rd gender (which forces us into a trinary) when we are ***NON*** binary. non binary people’s gender cannot be put in binary terms. we can go by any pronouns and can have any sexuality.

all sexualities include non binary and trans people, including gay, lesbian, straight, bi, pan, etc. please stop linking the entirety of pansexuality with the misinformed and bigoted words others have said.

pansexuality is 100% valid, but please make sure you know what you are saying when you’re defining it. i’ve made my mistakes before, but it’s about educating yourself and moving past that. pansexuality a gender-blind sexuality, not the only sexuality that includes non binary ppl.

ALSO! please use this pansexual flag. the old ones are transphobic.