What is Pansexuality?

Pansexuality is an often unknown and misunderstood sexual orientation. The word pansexual is derived from the Greek prefix pan for “all” and the Latin root sex for “sex”. Pansexual people are attracted to people of all genders. This means that they are not limited in their attraction to only people who identify as male or female, but may be attracted to individuals who identify as transgender, genderfluid, androgynous, or any other gender identity.

What Does it Mean to be Pansexual?

Being pansexual means that a person is attracted to people regardless of their gender identity. That means that a pansexual person may be attracted to someone regardless of that person’s biological sex – male, female, or something else. A pansexual person may also be attracted to someone regardless of their gender expression, which is how their gender is presented to the world, such as by the way they dress or the pronouns they use.

An Example of Pansexuality

So, what does this look like in practice? For example, a pansexual person may be attracted to a cisgender male, or someone who identifies as the gender they were assigned at birth. But they could also be attracted to a transgender male, or someone who was assigned female at birth, but who now identifies as male. A pansexual person could also be attracted to someone who identifies as genderfluid, a gender identity which is experienced as a blend of male and female genders.

Pansexuality is an important part of the LGBTQ+ community and its members’ identity. It emphasizes that gender identities are not binary and that individuals should be accepted and appreciated regardless of their gender identity.

Although pansexuality is becoming increasingly common and accepted in society, it is still often misunderstood. Fortunately, pansexuality is gaining more visibility and awareness, allowing pansexual individuals to be their true selves without fear of judgment or rejection.