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What are the differences between pansexual and bisexual?

32 Answers
Last Updated: 12/01/2018 at 4:47am
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Top Rated Answers
roy13
January 10th, 2015 1:37pm
Bisexual people are attracted sexually and romantically to both males and females, and are capable of engaging in sensual relationships with either sex. Despite being able to form meaningful, lasting relationships with both sexes, bisexual individuals may, to a small or large degree, have a preference for one sex over the other. Similarly, pansexual people may be sexually attracted to individuals who identify as male or female; however, they may also be attracted to those who identify as intersex, third-gender, androgynous, transsexual, or the many other sexual and gender identities. The latter distinction is what draws the line between pansexuality and bisexuality. People who self-identify as pansexual do so with purpose, to express that they are able to be attracted to various gender and sexual identities, whether they fall within the gender binary or not. Recognition of the existence of different genders and sexualities is a major aspect of pansexual identity. Pansexual people are bisexual, in-fact; however, bisexuality does not place the same emphasis on sexual and gender identity awareness, but more simply indicates attraction to the two (generally accepted) biological sexes.
Anonymous
June 22nd, 2015 9:55pm
The difference is mostly the personal preference of the specific person. A widely accepted definition of the two labels is that pansexual="attraction to all genders," and bisexual="attraction to two or more genders (or, your gender and other genders), but not necessarily all of them." Also, some pansexual people say that gender has no bearing on their attraction to a person, while a bisexual person might say that gender plays a role (for example, they might find different things attractive about different genders). Another difference is that the bisexual community has more of a political history, and is generally more connected to politics than the pansexual community. Whether a person identifies as pansexual or bisexual is entirely based on which label they feel fits them best.
RayvenNightfall
July 27th, 2015 9:35pm
Bisexual means you are attracted to two genders (male and female or other) pansexual love people in general.... an easier way to look at it is that people who are pan love the soul more than they do the individuals body.
KindHeartedAnna
July 27th, 2015 8:03pm
There's quite a lot of difference between pansexuals and bisexuals. Though many get confused between the two, the difference has to do with gender. Bisexuals: Bisexuals are people that feel sexual attraction to both males and females. This means that they act within what is known as the "gender binary" (the two traditional gender options, meaning male and female). Bisexual people feel sexual attraction towards both sexes. Pansexuals: Pansexuals are people that feel sexual attraction to ALL GENDERS. This means that they do not adhere to the previously mentioned gender binary. What does this mean? It means that a pansexual person can be attracted to a male, female, a transgender person, a non-binary person (a person that does not adhere to the gender binary and often feels somewhere in the middle of the two traditional genders), a gender-fluid person (a person that sometimes feels male, female, or nonbinary), or an agender person (a person that feels they do not have a gender). Pansexuals feel sexual attraction towards all people regardless of gender. If you are questioning whether you may be pansexual or bisexual, consider these definitions and do some careful reflection. There's no need to make a decision right this moment, so give it some time and feel free to identify with the sexuality that feels right for you. :)
creativeDay52
February 22nd, 2016 12:38am
Bisexual like boys and girls. Pansexual like trans boys and trans girls too. The pansexual motto is "hearts, not parts."
Katie77
November 23rd, 2015 9:16pm
Bisexual refers to someone who is attracted to their own and at least one other gender. For example, a boy is attracted to both boys and girls, or a trans woman who is attracted to women and men. Someone who is bisexual may be attracted to more than two genders, but not necessarily one of them. Pansexual refers to someone who is attracted to all genders (it encompasses attraction to all cis, trans, and non-binary gender identities).
Anonymous
September 20th, 2016 8:28pm
Pansexual is you are sexually attracted to every gender (or lack thereof). Bisexual is a debated definition but most agree it is that you only are sexually attracted to two genders (or lack thereof).
SympatheticPrune2001
December 1st, 2018 4:47am
Bisexuality is the attraction to two genders, mostly, although some people who are attracted to more than two genders identify as bisexual. For example, a bisexual person may be attracted to males and females but not to nonbinary people, or they may be attracted to males and bigender people, but not to other nonbinary people or females. Pansexuality is the attraction to people regardless of gender. A pansexual person may be gender-blind, or they may recognise gender, but be attracted to all of them (as I am). Some people who would be defined as pansexual May identify as bisexual instead. So a pansexual person will be attracted to males, females, and nonbinary people. I’ll just throw polysexuality in here. Polysexuality is the attraction to more than two genders, but not all. Some people who would technically be defined as polysexual identify as bisexual instead. For example, a polysexual person may be attracted to males, females and pangender people, but not to other nonbinary people. Hope this helped!
voxbox
January 23rd, 2017 2:30pm
Both are sexualities. Pansexual - is when you are attracted to the idea of a human being and their soul without being confined to a gender. Just pure attraction to the person. Bisexual - is when you are attracted to a gender-identified individual, male or female. Rather than just any human soul like a pansexual.
Anonymous
May 29th, 2017 1:18am
Bisexuals are romantically and/ or physically attracted to two genders (male and female, female and androgynous, ect.), while pan sexual don't care what gender someone is, and cam fall for anyone on the gender spectrum, which covers more than two genders
Anonymous
July 4th, 2017 2:19am
When trying to find your sexuality, it can be tough to find wether you are pan or bi because they are so similar. However, the rule of thumb is that if you are attracted to everyone on the binary spectrum, you are pansexual. Meanwhile, bisexual people are attracted to just men and women. The aspect that makes it hard to determine between the two is the difference between aesthetic and sexual attraction, because you may think someone looks hot, but you are not actually sexually attracted to them. But, anyways, in the end it's not about labels, it's about love!
Smore22
December 11th, 2017 9:11pm
A literal dictionary definition of bisexuality, due to the prefix bi-, is sexual or romantic attraction to two sexes (males and females), while Pansexuality, however, composed with the prefix pan-, is the sexual attraction to a person of any sex or gender. Using these definitions, pansexuality is defined differently by explicitly including people who are intersex or outside the gender binary. Because pansexual people are open to relationships with people who do not identify as strictly men or women, and pansexuality therefore rejects the gender binary, it is often considered a more inclusive term than bisexual.
Anonymous
January 15th, 2018 7:12pm
Pansexual means you’re open to dating anyone of any gender and bisexual means you’re open to dating guys and girls.
CaringRainfall93
March 12th, 2018 6:17am
Pansexual is when you’d have romantic relations with with anyone or anything, bisexual is when you would have romantic relations with males and females.
Anonymous
April 9th, 2018 11:15am
Pansexuals are attracted to more then two genders (Male and Female.) They are attracted to all the other genders. Bisexual people are usually attracted to only men and woman but people that self identify as Bisexual say that gender doesn't really stop who they love.
Anonymous
June 4th, 2018 5:29pm
Pansexual is someone who is attracted to a person regardless of gender. Bisexual is someone who is attracted to males and females.
Unicorn22sadcloud4
June 19th, 2018 12:48am
Bisexual has Bi in which means 2, so it means you like two genders. Pansexual means you like ALL genders not two.
Anonymous
July 16th, 2018 6:07pm
Pansexual is sexual attraction towards individuals of all genders. Bisexuality refers to sexual attraction towards males and females only. The difference is the genders that an individual is attracted to.
Anonymous
August 27th, 2018 4:28pm
Ok, so bisexual is when you feel attracted to both boys and girls, but pansexual is when gender doesn't matter to you. For example, if you were texting someone online (you think that they're a girl) and slowly you start to like them. However, later you find out they're a boy. If you were pan, you wouldn't care. If you were bi, you probably would, since you feel in love with a girl not a boy. This also applies for anything in-between, ie binary, non binary, etc. You can be both, so bear that in mind. Hope this is clear and it helped you.
HopieRemi
August 9th, 2016 9:24am
Bisexual is where you have a sexual and romantic attraction to 2 genders (male and female). Pansexual is where you are attracted to people regardless of gender (male, female, transgender, agender.... gender doesn't matter)
Greatlistener87
April 5th, 2016 8:34am
A literal dictionary definition of bisexuality, due to the prefix bi-, is sexual or romantic attraction to two sexes (males and females), or to two genders (men and women). Pansexuality, however, composed with the prefix pan-, is the sexual attraction to a person of any sex or gender.
Wishfulwillows
January 12th, 2016 2:23am
Pansexuality includes those who do not identify with either gender also known as agender. That's basically the only difference.
Anonymous
December 29th, 2015 2:32pm
Pansexuality does not regard choice to sex and gender, while bisexuality is still bound to gender identity. Bisexual people are attracted to two genders only, males and females, hence the "bi" in bisexual.
supportiveCupcake42
December 14th, 2015 6:05am
A pansexual person is sexually and/or romantically attracted to all genders, whereas bisexual people are attracted to two, male and female.
yano1kr
December 1st, 2015 8:42am
pansexual means you can fall in love with everyone.it could be older,younger,ugly,beautiful...and bi means you can fall in love with the both genders but you have preferences.a pansexual doesn't have preferences
Anonymous
November 9th, 2015 9:39am
Pansexuals = attracted to all genders, and gender is less relevant. Bisexuals = attracted to 2 genders and the attraction varies
Em
September 22nd, 2015 4:46am
Pansexual people sometimes refer to themselves as "gender-blind", as they see themselves as people who aren't attracted to genders, but to people. Bisexual people, while also experiencing similar emotions, more simply state that they can be attracted to males or females. Pansexuals see no gender, basically, while bisexuals do see gender. Hope that makes sense.
charmingApple31
September 21st, 2015 1:39am
Pansexual is sexual attraction towards anyone regardless of gender like female, male, gender fluid, agender, etc. while bisexual is sexual attraction to only men and woman.
CompassionKat
August 10th, 2015 10:25pm
This is a complicated question with a pretty complicated answer, but for most people, it's just a matter of personal preference. Both pansexuals and bisexuals are attracted to more than one gender, but bisexuals might not be attracted to some genders, or they may be attracted to some genders more than others. Conversely, most pansexuals claim to be attracted to the person, and not the gender. Some people also label themselves as bisexual for "political reasons," such as increasing bisexual visibility or to connect themselves with a movement with deep roots in the LGBTQ+ community. In the end, if you are attracted to more than one gender, either label can fit. It's simply a matter of which one your prefer.
Anonymous
July 14th, 2015 6:48am
Bisexual describes attraction to both males and females. Pan sexual, on the other hand, describes someone who is attracted to males, females, and people who fall outside of those spectrums. So pansexuals may be attracted to males, females, gender fluid people, or someone who simply does not identify with any gender.