Youth's Lives Every Day
Do you know what it means to be pansexual or panromantic? In honor of Pansexual and Panromantic Awareness and Visibility Day (May 24), and to continue to uplift pan folks today and daily, we wanted to create a starting guide to pan identities. With this guide, we hope to make pansexual and panromantic people feel authentically seen and to empower allies with more knowledge.
A lot of people don’t, at least not entirely, as pan members of the LGBTQ+ community often face misrepresentation and misunderstandings both inside and outside of the community. Pervasive, hurtful comments, like those that “joke” pan people are attracted to pans, only add to confusion and stigmatization.
Labels, like pan, can give a greater sense of self-understanding to some LGBTQ+ people. The society we live in often assumes and expects everyone to be straight and cisgender, so finding words to better describe oneself can be an act of liberation. These labels also connect people of similar experiences so that they can form a community.
Now that we have a starting point, let’s dive into pansexual and panromantic identities.
What is pansexuality?
Pansexuality is attraction to some people regardless of gender.
Some people use pansexual and bisexual interchangeably. As far as the similarities, people in both groups may be attracted to people regardless of gender. However, for some bisexual people, gender can play a role in attraction and, as a result, they may not be attracted to all genders. For pan people, the word pansexual can be a way to indicate to the world around them that their attraction is regardless of gender entirely.
People choose terms that feel right for them. It is important to respect the words people use for themselves.
“What I wish people knew about being pansexual”
We asked pansexual folks what they want the world to know about being pansexual, in their own words:
- “Being pan doesn’t mean we like and want to be with everyone.”
- “I don’t like pans! 🍳”
What does it mean to be panromantic?
Panromanticism is romantic attraction to some people regardless of gender.
Like pansexuality, panromanticism does not mean that a person has romantic interest in everyone. It simply means that gender is not a factor in who a pan person can be romantically interested in. This identifier can open the door to romantic pursuits who may have otherwise assumed they were not in the pan person’s dating pool.
“What I Wish People Knew About Being Panromantic?”
We also asked panromantic people what they’d want others to know about what it means to be panromantic. Below are some of those responses, in their own words:
- “It’s literally all about love/attraction REGARDLESS of identity. It’s a vibe yo.”
- “Just because we are in a straight passing relationship doesn’t erase our queer identity.”
Key Considerations
All people in the LGBTQ+ community deserve support, safety, and to be respected exactly as they are. We want this guide to be both a celebration of pansexual and panromantic young people and a helpful resource for other LGBTQ+ community members and supportive allies.
If you’re pansexual, panromantic, or any LGBTQ+ young person, and need someone to talk to, The Trevor Project is here for you 24/7. Just reach out to our trained crisis counselors who are there to support you, anytime, 24/7/265. Visit TheTrevorProject.org/Get-Help to connect with a counselor today.
