Pansexual vs Bi
Each individual is unique, featuring a unique identity of their own. This includes their race, their ethnicity, language, culture and even their sexuality. Pansexual and bisexual are two such sexual identities that exist in the world. However as identities go, they sometimes tend to be confused between one another and be used as synonyms in various contexts.
What is Pansexual?
Also known as omnisexuality, pansexual is sexual or emotional attraction, romantic love or sexual desire towards people of all genders. Pansexuality is often considered as a sexual orientation and self-declared pansexuals are known referring to themselves as gender-blind, implying that one’s gender is irrelevant or insignificant when it comes to sexual attraction towards one another. Pansexuality rejects the idea of the gender binary as pansexual individuals are often found to be in relationships with those who do not identify themselves as either men or women. Pansexuality is the only category of sexual orientation that includes people who do not clearly fall into the categories of men and women.
However, this does not imply ‘attracted to everything’ since such individuals do not practice paraphilias such as bestiality, paedophilia, and necrophilia and thus can be interpreted as consensual adult sexual behaviours.
What is Bi?
Bisexuality can simply be defined as being sexually, romantically attracted to sexes, both males and females. It is one of the main classifications of sexual orientation along with heterosexualityandhomosexuality. However, being bisexual does not imply equal amounts of sexual attraction towards both genders as individuals who have distinct but not exclusive sexual attraction towards one gender specifically can also be recognized as bisexuals.
While bisexuality has been observed in both human and animal communities over the centuries, the term has only been coined in the 19th century along with the terms heterosexuality and homosexuality. However, Alfred Kinsey’s 1948 work “Sexual Behaviour in the Human Male” has discovered that 46% of the male population engaged in both homosexual and heterosexual activity or reacted to members of both genders, thus implying that people cannot thus be labelled as bisexual exclusively.
However, many find the labelling of bisexual to be obscure while there are many disputes and controversies with regards to it.
What is the difference between Pansexual and Bisexual?
While it is difficult to truly discern the difference of these two sexual orientations, several differences do set them apart from one another.
• Pansexual is being sexually or emotionally being attracted to individuals of all genders. This includes those who do not fall into clear cut definitions of being male or female, as well.
• Bisexual is being emotionally or sexually attracted to people of both genders, both males and females.
• Bisexuality is one of the main sexual orientations including the heterosexual and bisexual. Pansexual is not considered a main sexual orientation and can fall under the umbrella of bisexuality.
• Pansexuals often refer themselves as being gender-blind implying that gender or sex does not affect their sexual attraction to people. Bisexuals, on the other hand, have the tendency to be more attracted to a certain gender than the other.