Hi, Lovelies,
It's Lovely
HERSELF
and today I want to talk about some tips that you can apply when dating a pansexual person.
Pansexuality is sometimes confused with bisexuality. While bisexual is a term used to describe someone who is attracted to two genders, a pansexual is attracted to people of any sexual orientation or gender. The prefix “pan” originates from Greek, meaning “all” or “every”. While this is an incredibly nuanced term, it has become popular as a way for people to better identify their sexual identity. Here are a few things to know about pansexuality.
Pansexuals Feel Love or Attraction Toward People Of Any Sex Or Gender Identity
Gender and sex are irrelevant to pansexuals when it comes to feeling emotional or sexual attraction. Pansexuality is also referred to as omnisexuality because people of this orientation experience romantic love or attraction toward people of any gender identity or sex. Today, some people do not fall into the traditional gender binary while others do. A pansexual person may be attracted to trans people, demi gender people, cis people, and genderfluid people.
Pansexuality Is Not Synonymous with Promiscuity
Sexual behavior and sexual identity are entirely unrelated. People tend to assume that all pansexual people are polyamorous. They feel the need to be in more than one relationship at a time. But this is not necessarily the case. Many polysexual people are monogamous, and it is wrong to assume that they are naturally promiscuous. Pansexuals aren’t more or less likely to be unfaithful than anyone else.
Pansexuality Is Not a Passing Trend
While the general public is just starting to understand what pansexuality means, this sexual identity has been around far longer. While it’s true that awareness of this term is a recent phenomenon, this is no way diminishes its meaning. It’s a good thing that people are becoming more aware of pansexuality and are addressing issues related to sexuality more. People who come out as pansexual are not trying to be fashionable, and it is not a passing trend. In fact, they are being brave since they are opening themselves up to prejudice by expressing who they are.
At the end of the day, we all need to accept the fact that sexuality is complex. By becoming more aware of the many different aspects of human connection, we will be able to understand ourselves and each other better.
Pansexuality is becoming more and more recognized, especially as more LGBTQ issues are being recognized by society. Prominent celebrities have come forward to publicly discuss their own sexual identities, and younger generations are increasingly not identifying with a label.
However, pansexuality is still generally less understood than just being straight, gay, or bisexual. The lack of education has led to a negative stigma surrounding pansexuality and a number of hurtful or ignorant scenarios that occur in the dating scene.
Pansexuality Defined
So, what is pansexuality, exactly?
Merriam-Webster defines it as sexual attraction “that is not limited to people of particular gender identity or sexual orientation.” In other words, pansexual people may be attracted to someone regardless of their gender.
Things to Know About Dating a Pansexual Person
Believe it or not, dating a pansexual person won’t be much different from dating someone with a different sexual orientation. However, there are a few things about pansexual dating that everyone should know.
1. Assumptions can be harmful.
Many pansexual folks have received instant judgment or witty quips upon stating their sexuality. “Oh, so you’re attracted to kitchenware?” and “So you just want to sleep with everyone, then?” are some of the more common jokes.
Hurtful humor aside, the first thing that anyone dating a pansexual person should know is that assumptions made in ignorance can be just as harmful as these jokes. People who identify as pansexual prefer open communication, and chances are that they won’t be offended by questions asked in good faith.
2. Pansexual is not just a fancy word for bisexual.
Pansexual people aren’t just trying to be special, and they’re not saying that they’re pansexual in order to seem better, trendier, or more “woke” than everyone else.
Pansexuality and bisexuality are two entirely separate sexual orientations. While pansexuality removes the concept of gender from the equation of attraction, bisexual people are attracted to two genders.
3. Pansexuality and polyamory are totally different concepts.
Just because pansexual people have the potential to be attracted to a wide variety of people regardless of gender or sexual orientation doesn’t mean that they’re attracted to all of these people at the same time! Polyamory, the practice of consensually dating more than one person at a time whether in or out of a closed group, is not exclusive to sexual orientation. A straight person is just as likely to be polyamorous as a pansexual person.
4. Pansexual people aren’t inherently more sexual than everyone else.
No, a pansexual person doesn’t want to sleep with everyone. Like someone of any other sexual orientation, people who identify as pansexual have a wide range of interests and have a wide range of sexual drive.
5. Gender can still be important to pansexual people.
Even though pansexual may be attracted to anyone regardless of their gender, this doesn’t mean that pansexual people don’t find particular aspects of gender presentation attractive. For example, a pansexual person can still dig the concept of manliness, or they may find femininity super attractive—it's just not their priority. Going out with a pansexual person doesn’t necessitate dressing and acting androgynous to make a good impression.
6. Dating a pansexual person doesn’t make cheating more likely.
Some people falsely assume that, because pansexual folks can be attracted to a wide variety of people, they will want to have a romantic or sexual relationship with someone else even while in a relationship. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. Pansexual people may have the potential to be sexually attracted to many individuals, but this doesn’t make them less loyal.
Final thoughts about pansexual dating? Don’t be a jerk. Ask questions. Get informed. Come from a place of compassion. Aim to understand.
Most of all, accept the person, and enjoy the date!
OOO, Lovely
