I have identified as bisexual for over half of my life, as I have been romantically involved with both sexes. I have heard of pansexuals, but never took the time to read into it, until now.

If I'm being honest, my attraction towards other people truthfully does not lie within 'sex appeal', but rather how I view them as a person and the trust I build with them, regardless of gender identity (or sex, for that matter.) It has always been this way, but I have never truly given thought to it until now. I recently have read up on Pansexuality, and I'm not sure whether pan or bi fits me better.

More or less, I can only feel true attraction to someone I value and trust as a person. I swear to god, Robert Downey Jr. himself could burst into my room right now and ask if I wanted to have sex, but I would not be attracted to him, honestly. At the same time, I'm not sure if this warrants a separate sexuality. I'm not trying to be closed minded-- keep in mind, whatever anyone identifies as does not bother me in the slightest; what does not effect my life is none of my business, and I will continue to be open minded to all walks of life. This is only the question I'm trying to make sense of to myself, and I figured maybe it would help to have some kind of outside opinion. Subeta has always been here for me when I truly needed to talk, and I love you all for it.

Not sure what to think, but I thought I'd make a forum post to gauge opinions. I'd like to know if anyone reading this has been in a similar situation. Thankyou. :)

There's a lot of stuff floating around about both but I will say this without getting too overly complicated: you can be bisexual and be panromantic. Or you can be pansexual and biromantic. Here's a better definition on AVEN.

Hope it helps. c:

thankyou! :O

honestly that middle paragraph sounds like demisexuality to me. basically "only sexually attracted to people who you have an intimate relationship with". you might want to give it a google.

also: pan vs bisexual are literally the same thing, it's just what word you feel more comfortable with using. pansexual is "all genders" bisexual is "genders like and unlike my own". so it shakes out to be the same thing.

I know it is a delicate subject, but I think it depends on your own interpretation what sexuality is for you. Some people like keeping it simple: Hetero for men-woman, Gay/Lesbian for same-sex, and Bi for both. Just pick what you think suits best for what you want to show yourself as.

As someone who identifies as pan, I honestly use both pan and bi pretty interchangeably. .-. It's easier to just say "yeah, I'm bi" because people understand it and it warrants way fewer questions than when you tell someone you're pan.

Honestly, identities are super personal though, and you can use whichever one feels most comfortable to you! ^-^

+1 for whichever is comfortable for you! I've identified as bi for longer, and I interpret it as genders similar to your own and not. But rlly pan and bi babes are all valid, so long as they're not hurting anyone. u vu

And yeah, as was said - identities are very personal! Don't feel like you owe anyone labels - if you want them, cool, if not, also cool! You're you, and you know what you like, and that's what matters. <3

before learning more about bissexuality i used to identify as pan, but only because i had a really bad look on bi ppl due to being exposed to what media said and not really researching it (aka used to thing it was excluding trans ppl from its spectrum, when that's not actually true). now i identify as bi and things got much easier ahahahahh in the end love is the thing that matters most, right after your own confort of course

Yea, from what i've experienced bi and pan are pretty interchangeable, and it really does depend on the person. But how I see it, sexuality is such a spectrum anyway between sexes to attractions and everything that there's really no way to accurately describe everyone. It's just what you prefer

Bisexuality and pansexuality aren't the same thing. There are more genders than just male and female and pansexuality is about caring for the person and their gender or sex (different things) not being a determining factor in attraction.

I identify as Bi because I like men and women...cis or not. I don't call myself Pan because I'm not attracted to genderfluid or genderqueer or any other gender expression other than male or female (cis or not). I don't have a problem with genderfluid or genderqueer or whatever...I'm just not attracted to them. But then I also think about the fact that I haven't met many who identify as those (or maybe I have and don't know) so maybe I just haven't met someone I'm attracted to who identifies as gq/gf. But (and I totally apologize if this comes across as rude) I just don't find the idea attractive? I prefer male or female. shrug

I have a lot of friends who identify with a wide spectrum of different sexuality, As long as you're happy and comfortable in your identity, that's what matters

I consider myself pan, as I would date another non-binary person if they had a pleasant/compatible personality. Sex, gender, that doesn't matter to me. I want someone who loves me for me, and someone I can love back. Love is wonderful, regardless of who it is. As long as they make you happy, that's what truly matters.

I'm so sorry its been so long. I haven't been on Subeta in quite a while. Maybe even over a year. After making this post, I went through a stage in my life that ended up being a huge turning point for me, and was unable to log in for quite some time.

I just recently got back online just now, and the first thing I saw was the notifications from this thread. I had honestly forgotten posting this, but I just want to say that after reading all of your replies, I feel considerably more comfortable about this topic. I really appreciate you all replying, and I feel much more comfortable referring to myself as a bisexual person. I guess I was just a little stressed out about it because I didn't want to be "incorrect" or put myself out there as something I really wasn't. I'm still closeted to everyone in my life with the exception of a few close friends and my fiance, but I'm hoping to work up the courage to come out as an open bisexual without fear of other's judgement.

Thankyou for helping me feel that much more comfortable with myself. Y'all rock.