About

Pansexuality, also known as Omnisexuality, is a sexual orientation marked by sexual or emotional attraction to any sex or gender identity.

Origin

The term "pansexualism" was originally coined by critics of psychologist Sigmund Freud in 1917, using the term as a pejorative for theories that all feelings of desire are manifestations of sexual instincts. The term was later used to describe a fluid sexual orientation not limited to any specific gender. On July 31st, 2003, Urban Dictionary^[2] user saki submitted an entry for "pansexuality," defining it as "one who can love sexuality in many forms."

Pansexuality & Bisexuality

Pansexuality^[1] also describes people with homosexual and heterosexual attractions, and therefore people who identify as pansexual are technically bisexual as well. By replacing the prefix bi- (two, both) with pan- (all), pansexuality differs from bisexuality by explicitly including intersex individuals or people who do not wish to define themselves under the gender binary, whereas bisexuality does not place the same emphasis on sexual and gender identity awareness.^[9][10] The difference and overlap between the two identities has been a common subject of debate between supporters and critics of pansexuality.

Spread

On November 15th, 2007, a page for "pansexual" was created on the online dictionary Wiktionary.^[4] In 2011, Tumblr user JustJasper launched the Pansexual Flag Tumblr^[8] to unveil a red, yellow and blue pansexual pride flag (shown below).

On August 7th, 2011, the /r/pansexual^[3] subreddit was launched for discussions about the sexual orientation. On October 6th, a page for "pansexual" was added to the Gender Wiki.^[5] On May 27th, the Tumblr^[7] blog "Pansexual Confessions" was launched, which image macros captioned with various anecdotes about the living as a pansexual person. On June 28th, 2012, YouTuber Laci Green uploaded a video saying she identified as pansexual (shown below, left). On September 11th, 2014, YouTuber Jim Chapman uploaded an explanation of the pansexuality (shown below, right).

On March 30th, 2014, YouTuber Morgan Marsh uploaded footage of herself coming out as pansexual to her father (shown below).

Sexually Attracted To Pans

Main entry: Group Names Misinterpretation

Due to Pansexuality being one of the more unknown types of sexual orientation, pansexuals have often been confused for having a sexual attraction to frying pans. Alongside being identified as a common issue for pansexuals, the confusion eventually lead to a sexual attraction to frying pans becoming a running gag amongst both pansexuals and critics.

Miley Cyrus Announcement

On August 27th, 2015, the women's fashion magazine Elle^[6] published an interview with "Miley Cyrus":, in which she announced she was pansexual.

"I’m very open about it – I’m pansexual. But I’m not in a relationship. I’m 22, I’m going on dates, but I change my style every two weeks, let alone who I’m with."

Search Interest

External References