What is the difference between bisexuality and pansexuality? I know labels don't really matter but I think definitions are very important. I've noticed some people think they're the same thing... If that was the case, then what's the point of having two separate terms?
Pansexuality is people who are attracted to cookware. ... ok, no, that's not really it. Some argue that with the idea of a spectrum of gender (which, actually, there's not a lot of evidence to support), the term 'bisexual' is somewhat outdated, and that pansexuality is inclusive of *all* genders not just male and female. So, for example, it could be inclusive of individuals who are trans. But that's problematic, because trans generally want to be seen as the gender they identify as. So, long and short, pansexuality implies a wider openness to those anywhere on the spectrum of gender, to the extent that's actually a thing.
From what I've read, the main difference is that bisexuals are attracted to multiple genders, while pansexuals are attracted to all genders. With that being said, I do agree pansexual is an inclusive term for people who are attracted to all genders, agender, androgyne, bigender, genderfluid, nonbinary, etc. However, I don't think the term bisexual is outdated at all, considering there are plenty of people that attracted to multiple genders but not all of them.
I label myself bisexual here on EC for clarity but in life I don’t use labels. As for Attraction pansexual might be a better fit but I am kind of old school and it seems redundant for me. I also find attraction to someones personality just as important as physical attraction, maybe even more so.
The differences vary from person to person, in all honesty. Pansexuals usually have the mantra of "hearts, not parts" to indicate that their attraction to someone is regardless of gender. From what I've been told and seen, it just means gender doesn't play a specific part in how they experience their attraction to people; male, female or otherwise. As for bisexuals (or at least me, personally) I do experience my attractions to men and women in different ways. Not that there isn't overlap--there is--but basically I go through points where I'm more strongly attracted to women than men, and vice-versa. A lot of this seems to be connected to the different aesthetic appeal men and women have, along with touch. I can't force myself to pay more attention to the opposite at these times, and just have to let things run their course. The assertion that bisexuals can't be attracted to trans people is a fallacy: for one, people who say this are basically suggesting trans men aren't men and trans women aren't women, which is insulting. Two, while I will own that how I'm attracted to someone does play off their physical characteristics (so my attraction to a pre-op trans person might be different to one that's post-op) it still doesn't stop me from being attracted to them. Essentially, if I'm not attracted to someone, it has nothing to do with their gender--it's just about what my physiology tells me I'm in the mood for and completely out of my control. I think it's important to respect the differences between them, even if they aren't particularly clear-cut. Neither is superior to the other; just different in how they experience their attractions. All labels under bisexual (pan, omni, polysexual, etc.) are different sides of the same die. Sometimes it really does feel like a matter of semantics, but my philosophy is as long as someone doesn't spit on my orientation, I don't have a problem with how they identify themselves.
Pan is gender blind and gender does not enter their mind with attraction. Kind of like personality makes them attractive not their gender. Bi is attracted to 2 or more genders and Bi people can have a preference or different levels of attraction.
