Comparing Historical and Modern Descriptions of Bisexuality and Pansexuality

The labels “bisexual” and “pansexual” have extensive backgrounds in the realm of sexuality that most people aren’t aware of. Examining them specifically as terms describing human attraction (both words have contexts outside of this), it becomes evident that many texts describing pansexual orientation feel the need to distinguish it from bisexual orientation by defining the two terms in virtually mutually exclusive ways. But how accurate is this practice when looking at the various ways both terms have been defined in the past — or even currently?

Looking at the histories of the “bisexual” and “pansexual” labels in full (here’s an etymological timeline of the latter), we find few definitions of pansexual orientation that haven’t already been either used to define bisexuality or otherwise exhibited by bisexuals ourselves. Not only that, but in a handful of instances, pansexuality is explained in ways that other works define bisexuality to separate it from pansexuality. Taken in all together, we find quite a few interesting contradictions.

We will be looking at some descriptions given for pansexuality and how they compare to those of bisexuality.

Click the links for sources. Years with an asterisk (*) after them refer to the one the speaker is referring to rather than when the quote was recorded. Some quotes correspond to multiple definitions, and some sources appear multiple times. Quotes from the bisexual side were taken from this more extensive compilation of bisexual-given definitions of bisexuality.

“Attraction to Men and Women”

Bisexuality/Pansexuality, 1974

Whether you call a person who is able to have sex with a male or female bisexual, AC-DC, a switch-hitter, ambisexual, pansexual, omnisexual, or, in Freud’s words, “polymorphous perverse,” his or her sexual persuasion is certainly nothing new.

Bisexuality, Late 1990s*

Since I came out in the late 90s, I haven’t seen one bi activist organisation define bisexuality as attraction solely to men and women… When I use ‘bi’ to refer to two types of attraction, I mean attraction to people of my gender and attraction to people of other genders.

Pansexuality, 2016

Pansexual: A person who is romantically and/or sexually attracted to both men and women.

Bisexuality, 2014

Because they discarded the dichotomous understanding of gender, participants rejected the ideas that they were attracted to ‘both’ men and women, arguing that they did not perceive gender as the defining feature in their attraction.

Pansexuality/Bisexuality, 2016

Some discuss the difference between the two [sexualities] as focused on gender, such as this statement: “[Pansexuality is] different from bisexuality. Bisexuality refers to people attracted to men and women. With more people identifying across the gender spectrum between men and women, pansexuality has emerged as a catch-all that includes everyone else.”

Bisexuality, 2019

Hardly anyone in the bisexual community defines bisexuality as attraction to just men and women.

“Attraction Regardless of Race or Age”

Pansexuality, 1982

I don’t care if I fall in love with a black or a white or a man or a woman or an old or young person. I just care that they have a good heart…

Bisexuality, 1974

…the very wealth and humanity of bisexuality itself: for to exclude from one’s love any entire group of human beings because of class, age, or race or religion, or sex, is surely to be poorer — deeply and systematically poorer.

“Attraction to (or Inclusion of) Trans People”

Pansexuality, 2013

[P]ansexuals may be attracted to… those who are transsexual or transgender. This differentiates pansexuality from bisexuality, which denotes attraction to people of just two different sexes — male and female.

Bisexuality, 1973

John Wojtowicz, a former bank teller [and self-identified bisexual], was sentenced today to [a] 20‐year prison term for the armed robbery of a Brooklyn bank — a holdup that he said he had committed to obtain money for a sex‐change operation for his [transsexual] “wife.”

Pansexuality, 1999

A newer term, pansexual, has been adopted to include transsexuals…

Bisexuality, Late 1970s*

The first wave of people who started the [San Francisco] Bi Center [opened in 1976] were political radicals and highly motivated people. The group was based on inclusivity… for example, in the women’s groups, anybody who identified as a woman had the right to be there, so a lot of transgender people started coming to the Bi Center.

Pansexuality, 2008

Pansexual means an attraction to individuals of any of the five sexes (male, female, intersexed, transsexed); additionally, it is a term which goes beyond the self orientation identity of bisexual to include the orientation of transensual [i.e., attraction to transgender people].

Bisexuality, 1995

I have talked to the bisexual practicers of pre-op transsexuals who feel they have the best of both worlds because their lover embodies woman and man together. […] With respect to our integrity as bisexuals, it is our responsibility to include transgendered people in our language, in our communities, in our politics, and in our lives.

Pansexuality, 2019

Just like bisexuality, pansexuals are sexually attracted to men and women. But the key difference is that pansexual people tend to consider themselves as more ‘gender fluid.’ They may also be drawn to those who identify as intersex, third-gender, androgynous or transgender.

Bisexuality, 2005

In the last two years, transgendered people have begun to catch my attention (before they didn’t). I am excited by the masculine (in men, women, and trans) and the feminine (also in men, women, and trans).

Pansexuality, 2020

Bisexual is attracted to both sexes by both men and women — Attractiveness is related to gender… Pansexual is attracted to all, including transsexuals — Sex does not play any role.

Bisexuality, 2014

My fellow bisexuals… I stand before you as an unapologetic, outspoken, bisexual activist who has intimately loved women, men and transgender persons throughout my life span of 72 years… I have the capacity and the desire to love men as well as women as well as transgender persons.

Pansexuality, 2020

It never felt right for me to identify as bisexual. I know so many people who are asexual or two-spirited, and I’m open to being with someone who is trans.

Bisexuality, 2016

I have a very inclusive definition of bisexuality that isn’t restricted to traditional binary gender roles and doesn’t exclude trans people (I believe that a ftm trans man is a man, not a separate category).

“Attraction to Androgyny”

Pansexuality, 2002

Pansexuals love people of all genders, male and female, but unlike bisexuals, pansexuals love transgendered, androgynous and gender fluid people, people who don’t fit into the categories of male or female.

Bisexuality, 1977

The Bisexual Center is united in struggling for the rights of all women and men to develop as whole, androgynous beings.

Pansexuality, 2016

A pansexual person can love not only the traditional male and female genders, but also transgendered, transsexual, cross-dressing, androgynous and gender-fluid people.

Bisexuality, Unknown Year

Others are attracted to masculinity and/or femininity, regardless of a person’s sex. Some of us who identify as bisexual are in fact “gender-blind.” For others — in fact for me — it’s androgyny or the blending of genders that compels.

“Attraction to Intersex People/All Sexes”

Pansexuality, 1997

The term pansexual attractions is a liberating and newly coined reference to individuals who are primarily attracted to all individuals and all sexes.

Bisexuality, 1990

…bisexual usually also implies that relations with gender minorities [defined here as “not male or female” and described as intersex people] are possible.

Pansexuality, 2008

Pansexual means an attraction to individuals of any of the five sexes (male, female, intersexed, transsexed)…

Bisexuality, 1995

And there are some bisexuals who do prefer hermaphrodites, or would if we could find them…

Pansexuality, 2014

Pansexuality encompasses attraction to members of all sexes and gender identities. It is broader than bisexuality, which implies that one can only be attracted to biological males and females.

Bisexuality, 1995

Even if they do not identify as bisexual, [transgender people] may feel more comfortable in a bi community in which attraction to all sexes and genders is accepted.

“Attraction Regardless of Genitalia”

Pansexuality, 2008

Pansexual/omnisexual: Attracted to “people, not parts”.

Bisexuality, 1995

Many bisexuals, myself included, feel we are attracted to people for qualities other than biological equipment.

Pansexuality, 2014

Others extend even this broad definition by delineating pansexuality as being not about the sexual equipment of the individual…

Bisexuality, 1996

“Gender indifferent” bisexuals often annoy others by claiming to “love people, not genitals” — implying that gays, lesbians, and hets care only about whether someone has a cock or a cunt.

Pansexuality, 2019

Pansexuality basically means it’s about hearts, not parts.

Bisexuality, 2005

My bi identity is not about who I am having sex with; it is not about the genitals of my past, current, or future lovers; it is not about choosing potential partners or excluding partners based on what is between their legs.

Pansexuality, 2019

As a pansexual person, as well as fancying males, females, and other genders, I feel I experience sexual attraction differently to the average person. I never look at someone and think, ‘I wonder what it’d be like to fuck them? I wonder what their genitals look like.’ That thought doesn’t enter my head.

Bisexuality, 2005

The professor of that class, bisexual herself, perfectly captured the essence of bisexuality: “It’s not a set of genitals walking up to me, it’s a person.”

“Rejecting the Sex/Gender Binary”

Pansexuality, 1973

[A]ll my friends had been what I would call pansexual, avoiding the older term bi-sexual, which is meaningless when you can count more than two sexes.

Bisexuality, 1972

As one who views herself as a feminist bisexual woman… I must challenge yet a third aspect of sexism which has not yet been challenged, at least not on a large scale. I call this aspect two-genderism, a rather clumsy term upon which I hope someone will improve. […] Literature which insists that there are only women and men is conspiring unconsciously with sexist forces to crush those in between.

Pansexuality, 2001

I don’t identify as bisexual for a few reasons… I firmly believe there are not two genders. So identifying as bisexual is counterproductive to my gender politics. So when people ask me, “Are you bisexual? gay?” I’m like, “I’m equal opportunity. I sleep with people of all genders.”… I identify with pansexual.

Bisexuality, 1990

Do not assume that bisexuality is binary or duogamous in nature… don’t assume that there are only two genders.

Pansexuality, 2012

Though many might describe [Mary] Gonzalez’s orientation as bisexual, pansexuals don’t believe in a “gender binary,” and hence can be attracted to all gender identities.

Bisexuality, 1991

I myself recently received a party invitation that read “for men, women, and others.” What your mother probably never told you is that not everyone is 100% female or 100% male. Many of us may have two or more personas or parts of our personalities that transcend traditional gender constraints and roles — not phony ones to please our parents and bosses — but roles of self-expression, self-exploration, and fun.

Pansexuality, 2017

[P]ansexual means that you are capable of being attracted to any and all genders. What makes it different to bisexuality is the acceptance that people exist outside the gender binary.

Bisexuality, 1995

…there is a distinct subset of the bi community which experiences bisexuality as a lived protest against gender categories, whose members appreciate cross-gendered and genderbending partners not only for fine gender-neutral qualities but precisely because with them we can have “maleness” and “femaleness” in the same person… The gender players tend to see gender roles and identities as fluid vs. immutable, transgressable through sexual play even if oppressive in daily life.

Pansexuality, 2019

[Pansexual] has since been adopted by some people as a more inclusive term than bisexual, a term that implies that there are only two genders (male and female).

Bisexuality, 1995

As bisexuals, we are necessarily prompted to come up with non-binary ways of thinking about sexual orientation. For many of us, this has also prompted a move toward non-binary ways of thinking about sex and gender.

“Attraction Beyond the Gender Binary”

Pansexuality, 2005

Since, however, there are more than two genders, some people do not self-identify as bisexual, finding themselves attracted to people across a spectrum of genders. These people have adopted different terms, including pansexual…

Bisexuality, 1970s*

Herself a bisexual woman, [Nan Goldin] found that drag queens, to her a third gender, were perfect companions. By transgressing the bounds of the binary, they had created identities that were infinitely more meaningful.

Pansexuality, 2011

Pansexuals describe their attraction as different from bisexuality, which only considers the gender binary — if you are bisexual, by definition you are attracted to either men or women.

Bisexuality, 1995

And all the while, busy bisexuals are having sex: with women, with men, with partners whose gender is unclear, fluid, or mixed…

Pansexuality, 2019

[Pansexuals can] love all people and don’t look at gender as being the most important aspect. [They] can be sexually and/or romantically attracted to someone who is transgender, non-binary, or gender fluid.

Bisexuality, 2005

“Hello, my name is Jaqueline Applebee… if you want to see me later, or just want a kiss, let me know as I’m bisexual, and you’re all gorgeous!” […] I have loved men, women, and those who don’t identify with any gender.

“Attraction to All Genders”

Pansexuality, 2002

Pansexuals love people of all genders, male and female, but unlike bisexuals, pansexuals love transgendered, androgynous and gender fluid people, people who don’t fit into the categories of male or female.

Bisexuality, 1994

Who is this group for exactly? Anyone who identifies as bisexual or thinks they are attracted to or interested in all genders… This newly formed [support] group is to create a supportive, safe environment for people who are questioning their sexual orientation and think they may be bisexual.

Pansexuality, 2003

Pansexual or Pan: is used to describe anyone romantically and sexually attracted to people of all genders.

Bisexuality, 1995

Similarly, the modern bisexual movement has dissolved the strict dichotomy between ‘gay’ and ‘straight’ (without invalidating our homosexual or heterosexual friends and lovers.) We have insisted on our desire and freedom to love people of all genders.

Pansexuality, 2003

Thus, someone who is omnisexual or pansexual can be attracted to all genders, or a variety of gender identities.

Bisexuality, 1999

Bisexual — being emotionally and physically attracted to all genders.

Pansexuality, 2012

[T]hough many might describe [Mary] Gonzalez’s orientation as bisexual, pansexuals [like Gonzalez] don’t believe in a ‘gender binary,’ and hence can be attracted to all gender identities.

Bisexuality, 2005

The bisexual community seems to be disappearing. Not that there won’t always be people around who like to have sex with people of all genders, the community, as I’ve discussed in this book, is a different matter altogether.

Pansexuality, 2016

It is often confused with or included within the definition of bisexuality, but it is a more fluid and much broader form of sexual orientation in which the pansexual individual experiences sexual attraction towards members of all genders.

Bisexuality, 2016

I call myself bisexual because it includes attraction to all genders (same as mine; different from mine).

“Attraction Regardless of Gender”

Pansexuality, 2005

The term pansexual refers to individuals that feel sexual attraction to an array of individuals regardless of sex, gender or gender identity.

Bisexuality, 1976

Being bisexual does not mean they have sexual relations with both sexes but that they are capable of meaningful and intimate involvement with a person regardless of gender.

Pansexuality, 2010

Pansexuality- Is the sexual attraction towards people regardless of gender[,] also known as omnisexuality[.]

Bisexuality, 1985

In the midst of whatever hardships we [bisexuals] had encountered, this day we worked with each other to preserve our gift of loving people for who they are regardless of gender.

Pansexuality, 2014

Pansexual: Sometimes referred to as omnisexual, pansexual describes an attraction to a person regardless of sex or gender.

Bisexuality, 1988

To be bisexual is to have the potential to be open emotionally and sexually to people as people, regardless of their gender.

Pansexuality, 2019

If you are pansexual you are attracted to people of all genders, not just male and female, and your attraction occurs regardless of gender identity.

Bisexuality, 2003

Bisexual: A person who is attracted to people regardless of gender (a person does not have to have a relationship to be bisexual!)

“Attraction Without a Gender Preference”

Pansexuality, 1999

Pan-sexual — Lacking highly specific sexual orientations or preferences; open to a range of sexual activities.

Bisexuality, 1998

I’m a 31-year-old, non-monogamous (though not into group sex), bisexual (no gender preference for partner) female living in Asheville, NC.

“Attraction Where Gender Is Not a Factor”

Pansexuality, 2000

“I consider Little Richard to be the most famous pansexual,” said Leon. “He was not about genders. He was about beautiful and not beautiful. If there was a cute boy and a homely girl, he’d talk to the boy. If the girl was pretty, he’d talk to her.

Bisexuality, 1972

My main feeling is that I want to love human beings; sex and gender should not be determining factors.

Pansexuality, 2017

Pansexual is basically a more liberal version of bisexual. It means you don’t care about someone’s gender or identity or sexuality, you just like them for them.

Bisexuality, 1991

Some women who call themselves ‘bisexual’ insist that the gender of their lover is irrelevant to them, that they do not choose lovers on the basis of gender.

Pansexuality, 2020

Often confused with bisexuality, pansexuality is where gender isn’t factored into attraction at all. In contrast, those who identify as bisexual are attracted to both genders.

Bisexuality, 2000

Respondent #495 recalled that “the best definition I’ve ever heard [for bisexuality] is someone who is attracted to people & gender/sex is not an issue or factor in that attraction.”

Pansexuality, 2020

While bisexuality’s definitions vary, the common thread is that a bi person’s attraction is influenced by gender. In a positive way, gender is still a factor that informs their attraction. Pansexuality, on the other hand, doesn’t hinge on gender, and our attraction to others has nothing to do with our own gender identity.

Bisexuality, 2002

But there are also many bis, such as myself, for whom gender has no place in the list of things that attract them to a person. For instance, I like people who are good listeners, who understand me and have interests similar to mine… “Male” or “female” are not anywhere to be found in the list of qualities I find attractive.

“Attraction to People, Not Genders”

Pansexuality*, 1973

They are gathering… with an open-ended attitude of genuinely caring for each other but I-don’t-care-what-you-call-me, polymorphous perverse, any thing-that-feels-good-goes pansexuality. This is the Third Sex. Whether physically girlish boys or boyish girls, the members of the third sex are attracted to people, their auras, vibrancies, minds and good looks, not to genders. Fuck genders. Make love to people.

*If the author believes the “third sex” has an independent sexual orientation, it would likely be “pansexual,” but he never clearly says this. Including this quote as a definition of pansexuality — which isn’t directly defined on its own in this text and also used to describe open-minded “attitudes” about sexuality—was tentative.

Bisexuality, 1974

It’s easier, I believe, for exclusive heterosexuals to tolerate (and that’s the word) exclusive homosexuals than [bisexuals] who, rejecting exclusivity, sleep with people not genders…

Pansexuality, 2010

[S]ome pansexuals refer to themselves as gender blind as to them gender is insignificant in determining whether they will be sexually attracted to others.

Bisexuality, 1992

[S]ome bisexuals say they are blind to the gender of their potential lovers and that they love people as people… For the first group, a dichotomy of genders between which to choose doesn’t seem to exist[.]

Pansexuality, 2014

People who use this label [“pansexual”] may describe themselves as ‘gender blind’…

Bisexuality, 1998

The probability is that your relationship is based on, or has nestled itself into something based more on the relationship between two identities than on the relationship between two people. That’s what we’re taught: man/man, woman/woman, woman/man, top/bottom, butch/femme, man/woman/man, etc. We’re never taught person/person. That’s what the bisexual movement has been trying to teach us.

Pansexuality, 2015

Aside from who pansexuals are attracted to, they also see gender and sexuality differently [from bisexuals]. More specifically, they do not see it…

Bisexuality, 2005

I see a person, not a gender… I demand to be free to legally marry anyone without regard to their gender.

Pansexuality, Unknown Year

For example, a bisexual cis woman might be attracted to a cis man or woman, whereas a pansexual would be attracted to a cis person. That’s why some people use the term ‘gender blind’ to explain pansexuality.

Bisexuality, 2017

Loving a person rather than a man or a woman: this is Runa Wehrli’s philosophy… ‘I fall in love with a person and not a gender,’ she says.

“Attraction to Personality”

Pansexuality, 2014

People who [identify as pansexual] may describe themselves… as being attracted to a person’s personality rather than his or her sex.

Bisexuality, 1976

[W]riters, artists, and musicians especially ‘cultivated bisexuality out of a delight with personality, regardless of race or class or sex.

Pansexuality, 2019

Thorne described her sexuality as favoring someone’s personality more than their body. “You like beings,” she said. “You like what you like. Doesn’t have to be a girl or a guy or a he or she or they or this or that. It’s literally you like personality. You just like a being.”

Bisexuality, 1992

Results supported the hypothesis that gender is not a critical variable in sexual attraction in bisexual individuals. Personality or physical dimensions not related to gender and interaction style were the salient characteristics on which preferred sexual partners were chosen.

Pansexuality, Unknown Year

Pansexual: …Sexual orientation associated with desiring/loving a person’s personality primarily, and specific bodily features secondarily.

Bisexuality, 2010

We [bisexuals] like people based on personality[,] not gender.

”Potential Attraction to Anyone”

Pansexuality, 1982

In 1963 [Rita Mae Brown] was kicked out after agitating for greater racial integration, but what the school authorities actually nailed her for was her “pansexuality,” as she puts it. “I was open to loving anybody.”

Bisexuality, 1995

[B]eing bisexual means I could potentially find myself sexually attracted to anybody.

Pansexuality, 2019

“It doesn’t matter if you’re male, female, trans male, trans female, nonbinary — everyone’s hot to me.”

Bisexuality, 2005

For me bisexuality means I don’t stop attraction, caring or relationship potential based on gender; I can have sex, flirtation or warm ongoing love with anyone (not everyone, okay? That part’s a myth).

“All Forms of Human Sexuality”

Pansexuality, 2002

Pansexuality includes all kinds of sexuality that can exist in a human being, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transexual, transgender, heterosexual, tendencies that may prevail either permanently or occasionally.

Bisexuality, 2011

I understand bisexuality not as a mixture of homosexuality and heterosexuality as Kinsey did, nor as a particular sexuality on an equal footing with homosexuality and heterosexuality, but as a holistic view of human sexuality, in which all aspects related to human sexuality are taken into account.

Observations

Every description of pansexuality here has applied in some way to bisexuality as well — almost always first (which is to be expected; pansexuality has had a considerably shorter life span in terms of use as a sexual orientation, and has gotten mainstream recognition only relatively recently).

Note the organization with these quotes as well: for the majority of pansexual quotes, its corresponding bisexual quote is years if not decades older. This is deliberately to illustrate how long people have used bisexual identity to encompass experiences that writings on pansexuality claim are “new” or somehow go “beyond” bisexuality. (Keep in mind that, for each definition, with the exception of “all forms of human sexuality,” I more-or-less provide the earliest instance of it I’ve found it used for pansexuality applied to humans.)

Another evident pattern is that pansexual definitions frequently employ a “compare and contrast” model, wherein bisexuality (or other orientations in general) are explained in ways that posit pansexuality as inherently more expansive. Very few bisexual texts attempt such juxtapositions.

With these two themes, we also see that people forming modern pansexual descriptions seldom consult bisexual literature — which should probably be done before comparing the identities in any capacity — and instead simply assume that the pansexual definitions are wholly unique.

Unique Pansexual Definitions

Of course, not every single attraction-related meaning that people give the word “pansexual” is necessarily shared with bisexuality. Some explanations, while not incompatible with bisexuality or bisexuals, have never — or at least almost never — been recorded definitions (i.e., statements detailing the meaning of the word, not personal accounts) of bisexuality. They are:

“Attraction Regardless of Race or Age”

An example of this description is in the comparison section. It has never been a definition of bisexuality in a non-personal way.

“Attraction to Personality”

While I’ve provided one (2010) instance of a bisexual proclaiming that bisexuals are attracted to “personality, not gender,” I have found no other instance in which “attraction to personality” is a standalone definition, even though it sometimes appears in individual descriptions.

“Rejecting the Gender Binary” / “Attraction to Nonbinary People”

Examples of this definition are in the comparison section. Obviously, many bisexuals fit this definition, but “bisexual” has never meant to indicate anything about one’s gender politics.

“Attraction to Transgender People”

Examples of this definition are in the comparison section.

While I’ve provided two (2005, 2014) examples where individual bisexuals say they can be attracted to “men, women, and transgender people,” they do not imply that this is a definition of bisexuality. I have found no instance in which attraction to transgender people is claimed as a bisexual-specific phenomenon, or where “attraction to (men, women, and) transgender people” is a standalone definition, even though it sometimes appears in individual descriptions.

Interestingly, one article (2018) explaining pansexuality states the following:

People who identify as pansexual are attracted to others regardless of their gender, while bisexuals identify as being attracted to women and men, transgender and non-binary people.

Besides the fact that not all bisexuals include transgender and nonbinary people in their personal dating pools or even worldviews (we should discourage this exclusion, but the fact remains), even if we treated “transgender” and “nonbinary” as distinct gender classes, every possible gender identity falls into these four categories. Ergo, the article (seemingly unintentionally) states that bisexuals and pansexuals are attracted to the same group of people.

“Attraction to Intersex People”

While several definitions of bisexuality describe attraction to all sexes, only two I’ve found directly mention intersex individuals, and even in those, relationships with them are described as an implicit possibility or something that “some” bisexuals enjoy. Arguably, “attraction to (males, females, and) intersex people” falls under the category of “attracted to all sexes,” but the former phrasing implies that “intersex” is an independent, mutually exclusive sex category that people can find (un)attractive as a whole, even if they had an egregiously oversimplified idea of “sex.” I find this an odd notion.

2014

The term [“pansexual”] also acknowledges a space for intersexed and transgendered people in an otherwise binary understanding of sexuality and gender.

2019

People who are pansexual can be attracted to people who identify as male, female, androgynous, transgender, or intersex, taking it a step further than the traditional view of bisexuality.

2019

[Pansexual] has since been adopted by some people as a more inclusive term than bisexual, a term that implies that there are only two genders (male and female). Pansexuals, on the other hand, can be attracted to transmen and women, intersex people, androgynous people, and cisgendered people, among others.

“All Forms of Human Sexuality”

While I’ve provided one (2011) instance of a bisexual conceptualizing bisexuality as holistic, and bisexuality theoretically encompasses all types of sexuality in humans, that isn’t inherent on an individual level (e.g., a bisexual may only be interested in vanilla, missionary sex) and no definition of bisexuality describes it in such a way.

We can find one quote from 1996 saying:

“Bisexuality” doesn’t describe the parts of my sexuality that respond to sex toys, some kinds of SM play, animals, nongendered fantasy objects, certain transgendered persons whose preference when asked “male or female?” is “neither,” and that ineffable sexual energy Tantric practice seeks to harness.

Of course, no sexual orientation is mutually exclusive with sexually responding to anything in this list, but that’s because they typically don’t refer to them.

Pansexuality, 2004

In addition, it needs to be understood that polyamory (multipartner relations), pansexuality (openness to all forms of sexuality) and other forms of responsible nonmonogamy are being pioneered by bisexuals.

Pansexuality, 2016

[P]ansexual[:] One whose sexual orientation includes all kinds of sexual expression and sexual relationships that can exist in humans.

Whether the concept of “all kinds of sexuality that can exist in humans” includes sexual arousal by (or activity with) non-human entities is unknown.

“Cross-Orientation BDSM”

1995

A number of lesbian women and gay men I met did S/M [sadomasochism] together, but did not consider themselves bisexual. They were simply doing what has come to be called “pansexual play.”

2001

In recent years the pansexual leather/BDSM community has been formed by the alliance of elements from the gay male leather/SM community, the lesbian (and/or lesbian/feminist) leather/SM community, and predominantly heterosexual BDSM/fetish groups. This new community describes itself as ‘‘pansexual,’’ meaning it’s okay for everyone to play with everyone else.

“Attraction to Non-human Entities”

1964

Most modern psychological theories of the origin of individual lesbianism start from an assumption that women (and men, as well) are innately bisexual; and that they are born with a capability to obtain gratification in many different ways, from those of the same sex, and of the other sex, from themselves, and even from other animal species. This capacity, which has been termed polymorphous perverse, might be called, in a word that is probably more communicative to most of us, pansexual.

1974

A psychiatric profile labeled [Alton Coleman] a “pansexual, willing to have intercourse with any object … man, woman, child, whatever…”

1990

Pansexual: Two definitions are floating around now-a-days: 1) One who recognizes that one’s sexual capabilities transcend humanity; that inanimate objects, animals, plants, and concepts can also be sexually exciting…

2003

[B]eing pansexual… may also suggest that you acknowledge that you could be sexually aroused by a beautiful painting, or the sound of a babbling brook.

“Attraction to Multiple Sexual Orientations”

1999

A newer term, pansexual, has been adopted to include transsexuals and all other persons whose gender, sexual orientation, and affective orientation do not coincide with societal norms.

2008

Fujiko, 36, described herself as ‘pansexual,’ meaning that she was open to different sexual orientations and gender identities in her sexual partners.

“Attraction to Many/All Gender Expressions”

2004

Pansexual — A person who is sexually attracted to all or many gender expressions.

2008

Pansexual/omnisexual: … Indicates the potential to be attracted to anyone regardless of their sex, gender identity, or gender expression.

2020

I’d say the best definition [of pansexuality] would be that my sexual attraction is not based on gender assignment or gender expression.

Observations

Pansexual definitions not shared with bisexuality generally describe aspects of human sexuality that don’t coincide with the typical definition of sexual orientation (i.e., to which genders/sexes of people an individual finds attractive). Ergo, they can be understood to apply to people regardless of sexual orientation and may be seen as conflicting with — and making assumptions about — other labels.

No orientation is mutually exclusive with recognizing more than two genders; there are plenty of transgender straight people who exclusively date other transgender people; a lesbian who enjoys all gender expressions in women is no less a lesbian than one who only finds herself attracted to butches; while many gay and straight people refuse to date bisexuals, very few people conceptualize sexual orientation itself as a category to determine attraction to (when was the last time you heard someone claim that heterosexuality itself was arousing?).

The wide variety in pansexual definitions is also fascinating, as two self-identified pansexuals can have wildly contradictory perceptions of that identity. A pansexual who uses the “attracted to animals” definition may theoretically still find transgender people repugnant; a pansexual using the “attracted to transgender people” or “attracted to all gender expressions” definitions may only be attracted to (cisgender and transgender) men or invalidate the notion of nonbinarity; a pansexual using the “attraction to all genders” definition may strongly prefer men, only want to date other pansexuals, be turned off by masculinity, be attracted primarily to appearance, or claim to be repulsed by a certain set of genitals.

With other orientations, there’s at least a semblance of consensus; hardly anyone would say that a man could consistently fall in love with men and still count as straight; even with a label as nebulous as “bisexual,” all of us understand ourselves to be attracted to more than one gender, and most of us understand ourselves to be attracted to men and women (whether or not we personally include transgender people and those of other gender identities in our dating pool).

“Straight,” “gay,” “lesbian,” and “bisexual,” as sexual identities, have virtually exclusively been defined in terms of attraction to — or romantic and/or sexual activity with — certain sexes/genders. On the other hand, it seems as though multiple environments have independently spawned entirely different concepts of pansexuality without knowing about the others. This isn’t necessarily bad, but it does inspire curiosity as to how they all came about.

Closing Thoughts

In the specific realm of sexual orientation, “pansexual” and “bisexual” have been, in one way or another, synonymous throughout history. One would be incredibly hard-pressed to fabricate a new, distinctive meaning to the former in that regard that isn’t either relatable to at least several people who identify as the latter or outright contested among at least a few identifying as the former. Our diversity is impossibly vast. Thus our alleged differences are simply among individuals rather than identity-wide.

As the American Institute of Bisexuality reminds us, “there are as many ways to be bisexual as there are bi people; just like any other sexuality.” Finally, here’s a snippet from an 1984 issue of Bi Women magazine:

J: Are we ever going to be able to define what bisexuality is? S: Never completely. That’s just it — the variety of lifestyles that we see between us defies definition.