Pansexual vs Bisexual: Understanding the Spectrum

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is Pansexuality?What Is Bisexuality?Pansexual vs Bisexual: Similarities and DifferencesCommon MisconceptionsExamples of Pansexuality and BisexualityFrequently Asked QuestionsFinding Help and Support

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

What Is Pansexuality?

What Is Bisexuality?

Pansexual vs Bisexual: Similarities and Differences

Common Misconceptions

Examples of Pansexuality and Bisexuality

Frequently Asked Questions

Finding Help and Support

Sexual orientation refers to who you’re attracted to and want to have sex and/or relationships with, and there is a wide variety of sexual orientations. Among the most well-known sexual orientations are heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, and pansexuality. However, bisexuality and pansexuality are sometimes confused with one another, or used interchangeably.

To learn more aboutpansexualityand bisexuality, and how they differ from one another, continue reading.

Glossary of Must-Know Sexual Identity Terms

People who are pansexual can feel attracted to people regardless of their gender or sex. This includes people who may not identify as a specific gender. They might have an attraction to someone who is agender,gender fluid, male, female, or any other gender identity.

What Does It Mean to Be Pansexual?

There’s no rigid definition of bisexuality, and it can mean different things to different people. But, generally speaking, bisexuality refers to the attraction to more than one gender.

Some people may consider bisexuality to refer exclusively to attraction to males and females. Others may incorporate multiple gender identities into their definition.

There has been some controversy over the term bisexual, as some people interpret the term as implying the existence of just two genders. However, many bisexual people acknowledge the existence of genders beyond the male/female binary.

Unsure About the LGBTQIA+ Acronym? Here’s Your Glossary Guide

Bisexuality and pansexuality are similar - they both fall under the bi+ umbrella, and describe somebody who is attracted to more than one gender. Some people will use them interchangeably to describe themselves – for example, bisexuality is more well-known, so some people may identify as pansexual in some settings, but bisexual in others.

However, there are some differences. Whereas pansexuality refers to attraction to all genders, bisexuality refers to attraction tomultiple genders– not necessarily all. Often, bisexuality is taken to refer to the two binary genders, male and female.

“A major difference is that when you are bisexual, you may have gender preferences in terms of connecting sexually,” explainsJess Clodfelter, LCMHC with Thriveworks. “When you are pansexual, you may not take gender into account when you are looking at sexual attraction, and take other aspects of the person into account instead. It’s important to note that both bisexual and pansexual-identifying people may experience different types of attraction to different genders.”

Demisexual and Pansexual

Unfortunately, there are a lot of misconceptions surrounding both pansexuality and bisexuality, many of which are rooted inbiphobia and panphobia.

“One of the misconceptions that surround these two terms, first and foremost, is that they are the same thing. They both fall under the bi+ umbrella, but they are not the same thing,” says Clodfelter.

“The biggest misconception around bisexuality is that someone who is bisexual is actually gay but not willing to come out,” saysLori Bisbey, PhD, a clinical psychologist and sex/intimacy coach. “Straight people and gay people oftenexclude the bisexual person.”

“In addition, there is the idea that bisexual means equally attracted to men and women when bisexual people can be attracted to one gender 80% and the other 20% or 90/10 or 50/50," Bisbey says.

And, for both bisexual and pansexual people, there is sometimes a misconception that they can’t be monogamous, because if they are in a relationship with somebody of one gender they may still desire people of other genders. Like heterosexual people, not all bisexual or pansexual people are monogamous, but many are. Likewise, people who are bisexual or pansexual are no more likely to cheat on their partner than someone of any other sexuality. A harmful societal myth is that those who identify as bisexual or pansexual are unable to make up their mind, when this is far from true.

“Another common misconception related to pansexuality is that people who are pansexual are transphobic while bisexual people are not, because pansexual people don’t see trans people as women or men,” says Clodfelder. “Reminder: pansexual people are attracted to peopleregardlessof gender, so their attraction to someone has nothing to do with whether they are trans orcis.”

Likewise, there’s sometimes a misconception that bisexual people will only date cisgender males and females, which isn’t true.

Another misconception relating to pansexuality is that it’s just a fad, or that people who are actually bisexual call themselves pansexual to be “trendy” or “unique”. However, as Clodfelter points out, the term has been in the Oxford English Dictionary for over a century – it’s just that people hear the term more often now because of social media and wider acceptance.

Finally, there remains a misconception that someone can only be bisexual or pansexual if they’ve had relationships with all of the genders they’re attracted to. But as Clodfelter says, “you don’t have to have had relationships with every gender to be valid”.

8 Signs You May Be Biromantic

Say someone is male and is attracted to both women and other men. Based on the typical definitions of pansexuality and bisexuality, this would make them bisexual.

If this person was attracted to someone before they knew their gender, and the attraction did not change regardless of whether they were male, female,gender fluid, agender, or had another gender identity, they would be pansexual based on the typical definition of the term.

Likewise, if a gender fluid person felt attraction to people of all genders, they’d be pansexual. In comparison, if a woman was attracted to other women, and gender fluid people, for example, but not men, they’d probably be considered bisexual.

What Is Sexual Fluidity?

It’s important not to make assumptions about gender or sexuality in the LGBTQ+ community, as making assumptions about a person’s identity can be very harmful. Take care to ask people how they identify, and how you can best support them.

Frequently Asked QuestionsThe bi+ umbrella refers to all of the sexualities involving attraction to multiple genders – that is, non-monosexual identities. This includes bisexuality, pansexuality, polysexuality, multisexuality, and omnisexuality, to name a few.Take note of who you find yourself attracted to, and trust your gut in considering which label feels right for you and your sexuality. Ultimately, it’s up to you, and you can use whatever label you feel most comfortable with.

The bi+ umbrella refers to all of the sexualities involving attraction to multiple genders – that is, non-monosexual identities. This includes bisexuality, pansexuality, polysexuality, multisexuality, and omnisexuality, to name a few.

Take note of who you find yourself attracted to, and trust your gut in considering which label feels right for you and your sexuality. Ultimately, it’s up to you, and you can use whatever label you feel most comfortable with.

What It Means to Be Heteroflexible

“If you think you are bisexual or pansexual, but may be unsure, trust your gut,” says Clodfelter, “Pay attention to who you find yourself being attracted to, either on a sexual or romantic level. Both are going to take some reflecting.”

She suggests asking yourself these questions if youthink you may be pansexual or bisexual.

She says, “If you think you may be pansexual, think about these questions:

And, if you think you may be bisexual, reflect on these questions:

You may try to take online quizzes or tests to determine if you’re pansexual or bisexual, but, realistically, the only person that can answer that question is you.

Statistically, people who fall under the bi+ umbrella are at higher risk for depression and anxiety, and if you’re questioning your sexuality, support exists for you. You could look for a therapist who specializes in LGBTQ+ issues and support, or speak to a trusted friend. There are also manyonline resources.

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3 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Klesse C.Shady characters, untrustworthy partners, and promiscuous sluts: Creating bisexual intimacies in the face of heteronormativity and biphobia.Journal of Bisexuality. 2011;11(2-3):227-244. doi:10.1080/15299716.2011.571987Feinstein BA, Xavier Hall CD, Dyar C, Davila J.Motivations for sexual identity concealment and their associations with mental health among bisexual, pansexual, queer, and fluid (Bi+) individuals.Journal of Bisexuality. 2020;20(3):324-341. doi:10.1080/15299716.2020.1743402Borgogna NC, McDermott RC, Aita SL, Kridel MM.Anxiety and depression across gender and sexual minorities: Implications for transgender, gender nonconforming, pansexual, demisexual, asexual, queer, and questioning individuals.APA PsycNet Direct. 2019;6(1):54-63.

3 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Klesse C.Shady characters, untrustworthy partners, and promiscuous sluts: Creating bisexual intimacies in the face of heteronormativity and biphobia.Journal of Bisexuality. 2011;11(2-3):227-244. doi:10.1080/15299716.2011.571987Feinstein BA, Xavier Hall CD, Dyar C, Davila J.Motivations for sexual identity concealment and their associations with mental health among bisexual, pansexual, queer, and fluid (Bi+) individuals.Journal of Bisexuality. 2020;20(3):324-341. doi:10.1080/15299716.2020.1743402Borgogna NC, McDermott RC, Aita SL, Kridel MM.Anxiety and depression across gender and sexual minorities: Implications for transgender, gender nonconforming, pansexual, demisexual, asexual, queer, and questioning individuals.APA PsycNet Direct. 2019;6(1):54-63.

Klesse C.Shady characters, untrustworthy partners, and promiscuous sluts: Creating bisexual intimacies in the face of heteronormativity and biphobia.Journal of Bisexuality. 2011;11(2-3):227-244. doi:10.1080/15299716.2011.571987Feinstein BA, Xavier Hall CD, Dyar C, Davila J.Motivations for sexual identity concealment and their associations with mental health among bisexual, pansexual, queer, and fluid (Bi+) individuals.Journal of Bisexuality. 2020;20(3):324-341. doi:10.1080/15299716.2020.1743402Borgogna NC, McDermott RC, Aita SL, Kridel MM.Anxiety and depression across gender and sexual minorities: Implications for transgender, gender nonconforming, pansexual, demisexual, asexual, queer, and questioning individuals.APA PsycNet Direct. 2019;6(1):54-63.

Feinstein BA, Xavier Hall CD, Dyar C, Davila J.Motivations for sexual identity concealment and their associations with mental health among bisexual, pansexual, queer, and fluid (Bi+) individuals.Journal of Bisexuality. 2020;20(3):324-341. doi:10.1080/15299716.2020.1743402

Borgogna NC, McDermott RC, Aita SL, Kridel MM.Anxiety and depression across gender and sexual minorities: Implications for transgender, gender nonconforming, pansexual, demisexual, asexual, queer, and questioning individuals.APA PsycNet Direct. 2019;6(1):54-63.

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