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glossary of sex-positive terms
A pansexual is someone whose romantic and/or sexual attraction is not confined to individuals of a specific gender identity or sexual orientation. A pansexual person may be attracted to any combination of genders, including cisgender men, cisgender women, transgender people, genderqueer individuals, agender people, etc. Pansexuality can also refer to an individual's willingness to explore other forms of sexuality beyond traditional gender roles.
The term “pansexual” was first introduced in the early 1900s and has become increasingly more popular as awareness around gender identities expands. A person's pansexuality may be related to their view on gender norms and the traditional understanding of sex and sexuality as a binary concept – male or female. Pansexual people challenge these ideas by being open-minded about exploring relationships outside these rigid definitions of what it means to be in a relationship with someone else; for example, they may have an interest in non-binary partners such as those who identify as agender or bigender.
Pansexuals are often confused with bisexuals due to the similar prefixes used for both terms (bi- meaning two and pan- meaning all). This confusion arises because both terms involve attraction towards more than one gender at once; however bi traditionally refers specifically only to persons who are attracted two genders (male & female), while pan encompasses all genders beyond just two - including queer individuals who do not identify within the traditional male/female binary system.
Ultimately it’s important that you don’t make assumptions about someone’s sexuality based on their appearance or behavior – rather than labeling them by any one term it’s best practice simply ask how they prefer you refer them instead! Acceptance of fluidity across different identities is growing every day so no matter what your own personal beliefs are it's important that we all come together respect everyone regardless their identification!
