Ella Walter
Bisexuality and pansexuality are two recognized terms that describe romantic or sexual attraction to more than one gender. However, there are differences between the two terms regarding which genders a person is attracted to and what type of attraction is involved. Bisexuality generally refers to people who feel attracted to more than one gender, while pansexuality refers to those who feel an attraction to people of any gender, regardless of their sex or gender identity. The terms differ because bisexual people may favor some genders over others, whereas pansexual people may feel the same level of attraction to people of any gender.
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What You'll Learn
Bisexuality can mean attraction to multiple genders
Bisexuality is generally defined as the attraction to multiple genders. However, the specific definition of bisexuality varies across individuals. While some people define bisexuality as attraction to males and females, others define it as attraction to multiple gender identities. For instance, bisexuality can include attraction towards non-binary people.
The American Psychological Association states that "sexual orientation falls along a continuum", implying that individuals can experience varying degrees of sexual and romantic attraction to different genders. This means that a bisexual person can experience attraction to different genders in varying ways. For example, a bisexual person might feel romantically attracted to multiple genders but only feel sexually attracted to one gender.
Bisexuality is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with heterosexuality and homosexuality. However, it is important to note that bisexuality does not necessarily equate to equal sexual attraction to both sexes. Robyn Ochs, a bisexual activist, defines bisexuality as "the potential to be attracted — romantically and/or sexually — to people of more than one sex and/or gender, not necessarily at the same time, not necessarily in the same way, and not necessarily to the same degree". This definition highlights the diverse nature of bisexuality and the fact that bisexual individuals can experience varying degrees of attraction to different genders.
It is worth noting that the term "bisexual" is used by some as an umbrella term for any form of attraction to two or more genders. This can include individuals who identify as pansexual, as pansexuality falls under the broader category of bisexuality. However, some people differentiate between bisexuality and pansexuality, with pansexuality referring to attraction regardless of gender. Ultimately, the specific definition of bisexuality is subjective and can vary depending on the individual's interpretation and experience.
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Pansexuality can mean attraction to all genders
Pansexuality is broader than bisexuality, and people who identify as pansexual may be attracted to people of all genders. The prefix "pan-" means "all". Pansexuality explicitly rejects the gender binary and includes people who are intersex or outside the gender binary.
Pansexuality is defined as the sexual attraction to a person of any sex or gender. This means that a person who identifies as pansexual may be attracted to men, women, non-binary people, and people of any other gender identity. However, this does not mean that they are attracted to everyone they meet. Just as a straight woman is not attracted to every man, a pansexual person is not attracted to every person. Pansexuality simply means having the potential to be attracted to people of any gender.
Pansexuality is sometimes considered a sexual orientation in its own right or, at other times, as a branch of bisexuality. This is because bisexuality, at its core, involves attraction to people of two or more genders, but not necessarily all genders. The term "bisexual" is also used by some to indicate a lack of preference for a specific gender, and some people who identify as bisexual may be pansexual.
It is important to note that a person's way of identifying can change at any time, and they are free to choose and switch their sexual orientation according to how they feel.
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Attraction to non-binary people
The terms bisexual and pansexual are often used interchangeably, and many people feel that they mean the same thing. However, some people differentiate between the two, arguing that bisexuality refers to attraction to multiple genders, while pansexuality refers to attraction to all genders, regardless of gender. For bisexual people, gender may play a part in their attraction, and they may feel a different type of attraction to different genders. For pansexual people, gender does not affect attraction.
In terms of attraction to non-binary people, the term skoliosexual refers specifically to people who are attracted to those who are transgender or non-binary. However, some people feel that this term implies that non-binary and trans people are "crooked", and so prefer the term ceterosexual, which means sexual attraction to someone who is non-binary, or allotroposexual, which is derived from the Greek for "different" and "mode of life".
Some non-binary people feel that the term heterosexual can be used to describe attraction to non-binary people, as the prefix hetero- means "other, different, or dissimilar", not necessarily "opposite". However, others feel that the term heterosexual implies the "opposite" gender, and so cannot be used to describe attraction to non-binary people.
Some people who are attracted to non-binary people may choose not to label their sexuality at all. Labels can help people feel a sense of community, but they can also be restrictive. Ultimately, a person's sexual orientation is up to them to define, and they are free to choose and switch their label at any time.
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Attraction to trans people
Attraction to transgender people has been the subject of scientific study and social commentary. Psychologists have researched sexual attraction toward trans women, trans men, cross-dressers, non-binary people, and a combination of these. Publications in the field of transgender studies have also investigated the attraction transgender individuals can feel for each other.
Cisgender men attracted to transgender women primarily identify as heterosexual and sometimes as bisexual, but rarely as homosexual. They may even regard their attraction as its own sexual orientation and invent their own terms for it. In some scientific literature, the terms gynandromorphophilic (attraction to trans women with a combination of male and female physical characteristics) and gynemimetophilic (attraction to trans women) are used for cisgender men attracted to transgender women. The term andromimetophilic describes an attraction to trans men. The terms skoliosexual and ceterosexual have been used to describe attraction to non-binary people.
A 2016 study that used the penile plethysmograph demonstrated that the arousal patterns of cisgender men who report attraction to transgender women who have "female-typical physical characteristics (e.g. breasts) while retaining a penis" are similar to those of straight men and different from those of gay men. The study showed that these men are much more aroused by female than by male stimuli, but they also displayed strong arousal to stimuli featuring trans women, to which they responded as much as to the cisgender female stimuli.
Of the men attracted to trans women, 41.7% identified as bisexual, with the remainder identifying as straight. The bisexuals among them did not display significantly more arousal to male stimuli than their heterosexual counterparts, though they did report a higher number of male sex partners.
Transgender individuals often call their attraction to other transgender people T4T and may consider it both a sexual identity and a form of political identity. A Northwestern University study recruited 205 men interested in trans women. In that online survey, 52.9% identified as straight, 37.3% as bisexual, and 2.6% as gay, and 7% as something else. Also, 55.9% said their ideal partner would be a cisgender woman, and 34.7% said it would be a trans woman.
According to the National Center for Transgender Equality, 25% of American transgender people identify as bisexual. One New Zealand 2019 study of a nationally representative group of bisexual and pansexual participants found that younger, gender-diverse, and Maori people were more likely to self-identify as pansexual compared to bisexual.
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Different definitions of bisexuality
Bisexuality is a sexual orientation that refers to people who feel attracted to more than one gender. However, the exact definition of bisexuality can vary, and different people may interpret the term in slightly different ways.
Some people define bisexuality as the attraction to two genders only, usually male and female. However, many people who identify as bisexual acknowledge that there are multiple genders and are attracted to multiple genders. This is reflected in Robyn Ochs' popular definition of bisexuality: "The potential to be attracted — romantically and/or sexually — to people of more than one sex and/or gender, not necessarily at the same time, not necessarily in the same way, and not necessarily to the same degree."
Bisexuality can also be defined as the capacity to form attraction and/or relationships with more than one gender, not necessarily at the same time or to the same degree. This means that a bisexual person may be in a long-term same-sex or heterosexual relationship, or they may alternate between the two. It is important to note that bisexuality does not reinforce a gender binary, despite the prefix "bi" meaning "two". The historical and cultural definition of the term has always referred to more than one gender, and the current definition is not specifically binary.
Some people use the term pansexual to describe their attraction to more than one gender. Pansexuality is defined as an attraction to people of any gender, regardless of their gender identity. This is in contrast to bisexuality, which may or may not include attraction to all genders, depending on the individual's interpretation of the term. For some, bisexuality includes attraction to non-binary people, while for others, it does not. Ultimately, the choice of label is a personal one, and individuals are free to choose how they identify and which labels they use to describe their sexual orientation.
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Frequently asked questions
Generally, if someone identifies as bisexual, they feel an attraction to more than one gender. However, bisexuality can mean different things to different people, and not everyone will agree on a single definition. Some people who identify as bisexual may have a preference for one gender over another.
Pansexuality typically refers to those who feel an attraction to people regardless of gender. A person who identifies as pansexual may refer to themselves as "gender-blind", asserting that gender and sex are not determining factors in their romantic or sexual attraction to others.
No, they are not the same. While there is some overlap, bisexuality and pansexuality are two distinct sexual orientations.
Yes, some people may use the terms interchangeably, given the overlap in their definitions. However, others will interpret and identify differently with one term or the other.
Yes, a person is free to choose their sexual orientation according to how they feel at any time. They are also free to change their orientation over time or to resist any type of label if they choose.
