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in honor of pansexual pride day, here’s a pansexual info thread for those who may have questions about the sexuality and what it means!
right off the bat, it’s important to know that pansexual and bisexual are unique identities. they broadly overlap, and we recognize and appreciate that! but the distinction between them is very important to us.
here’s a great tweet with a very succinct explanation of the differences, and it’s very easy to understand and cite when necessary. i’ll also talk about it in this thread. https://twitter.com/tinyo_on/status/1134988408332402689?s=20
bisexuality is currently being defined as the attraction to two groups- the same gender (as the bisexual individual) and other genders. this may vary from person to person, but this is a more recent and well-accepted definition.
pansexuality is currently defined as attraction regardless of gender or attraction that isn’t determined by gender. meaning gender does not play a part in our attraction to others. our feelings of attraction to different individuals does not differ in any way because of gender.
another great explanation of the differences comes from tumblr user love-geofffree, which is also incredibly well-said, and may help others understand. https://love-geofffree.tumblr.com/post/183354336469/dailybipuns-swordshapedleaves-dailybipuns
now i feel it’s important to discuss what pansexuality ISN’T. it’s briefly touched upon in the first link, but i’ll expand on that.
pansexuality isnt “i dont care about your gender” (we do, we know your gender is important to you, it just doesn't affect our attraction) or “gender-blind” (this term is problematic in addition to being inaccurate, we see and respect your gender still)
pansexuality isn’t “hearts not parts” (this frames bisexuality & other sexualities as only caring about genitals, which isn’t true & grossly mischaracterizes lgb+ individuals as purely sexually charged & possibly transphobic; it also conflates gender & sex, which isnt accurate)
the issue a lot of people have with pansexuality is the implication that bisexuality is “exclusive”. we dont believe that. we dont think we are superior to bisexual folk bc our sexuality is “more inclusive.”
bisexuality is NOT inherently transphobic. pansexuality is not “more inclusive” of genders than bisexuality. pansexuality also DOES NOT consider binary trans people to be a whole other or 3rd gender (this claim is thrown around to suggest that pansexuality is transphobic).
neither of these two identities are better than the other.
the difference between bisexuality and pansexuality is the way our attraction is characterized. that line between them is so fine that often people who identify as bisexual may have their attraction more accurately described using pansexual, or vice versa. this is fine.
at the end of the day, it's up to personal preference.
we shouldn’t tell anyone how they should identify. if someone feels connected to a certain label, then that is who they are, and we need to respect that regardless of how we feel.
we shouldn’t tell anyone how they should identify. if someone feels connected to a certain label, then that is who they are, and we need to respect that regardless of how we feel.
we all have a right to self-identify however we feel suits us best.
if you’re interested in the history of the label ‘pansexual’, tumblr user posi-pan has a great page right here: https://posi-pan.tumblr.com/info that goes into more detail about the history and some of the myths about pansexuality.
it also includes a huge resource list that includes pan-positive twitters, tumblrs, books, pride/visibility days for pansexuals, etc. it’s a great blog so please check it out!
lastly, if you’ve come all the way to the end of this thread i’d like to thank you. for taking the time to read, to maybe educate yourself, to be more connected to the pan community, or to find resources, thank you.
let’s continue to support pansexual people and assert that pansexuality is legitimate and valid! and big shoutout/solidarity to my bisexual peeps out there, i see you and i love you! happy pride, ya’ll 
