What does it mean to be pansexual?
What does it mean to be pansexual? As with any personal identity, the answer varies somewhat from one person to the next. But being pansexual generally means that a person experiences emotional, romantic and/or physical attraction to people of all gender identities and expressions. For some, this means they are attracted to persons regardless of gender; for others, there’s attraction to a spectrum of gender identities and expressions.
Is being pansexual different from being bisexual? Not necessarily. Both identities describe someone whose attractions are not limited to a particular gender identity. But some LGBTQ+ persons--young people in particular--are choosing pansexual to describe their sexuality because it feels more expansive. In fact, the prefix pan-, which comes from the Greek language, means “relating to the whole of the universe.”
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Learn more about what it means to be pansexual and why it’s a term that’s gaining in popularity in this TIME article.
What Does 'Pansexual' Mean? Behind the Rise of the Word
The first openly pansexual character on tv was played by actor Dan Levy in the hit series Schitt’s Creek. Read about Levy’s portrayal and why he feels it’s important to tell LGBTQ+ stories.
Dan Levy on Schitt's Creek: "It's Important to Tell Queer Stories"
References:
Steinmetz, Katy. (2020, January 7). What Does 'Pansexual' Mean? Behind the Rise of the Word. TIME. https://time.com/5760209/what-pansexual-means/
Wray, Meaghan. (2017, May 31). Dan Levy on Schitt's Creek: "It's Important to Tell Queer Stories." Flare. https://www.flare.com/celebrity/dan-levy-on-pansexuality/
