Just a heads up to everyone that has a Bisexuality definition that isn't Bisexual, I'd really recommend not putting anti-trans labels and bullshit on Bi people, it's never failed too piss off every Bi person I've ever been or known.

F all this. I'm omni

For practical purposes, it's a judgement call:

-If they're under 30, I say I'm pansexual.

-If they're over 40, I say I'm bisexual.

-In between, I pick one based on vibes.

For theory purposes:

Studies on sexual attraction predate studies on gender identity. "Bisexual" hails from a day that we just considered the physical presentation of the people a study participant is attracted to, with the options of 1: Same, 2: Different. The studies allowed for people to be homosexual, heterosexual, or both-sexual.

"Pansexual" has had different definitions in the 1920s, 1970s, 2020s, and presumably the years in between. The current popular definition of "attraction to all genders" or "attraction regardless of gender" is basically a subset of "bisexual", since this includes both people of the same sex, and people of different sex.

It's more inclusive in the aspect of rejecting the gender binary at the start. But also, I believe that words are for communication, so at the end of the day, I'm using the most useful word based on the information I'm trying to communicate.

I really don't know what I'm talking about but I always assumed bisexual was attracted to both traditionally presenting men and women, but maybe not so attracted to others, androgynous presenting or otherwise.

Pansexual is really like they dont even consider a persons gender at all, they can be attracted to anyone binary presenting or non-binary presenting

Pansexual because gender and physical looks are mostly irrelevant to what you find sexually attractive

Bisexual because you find both sexes physically attractive making gender mostly irrelevant

By most definitions I’d consider myself pansexual, but boy do I like the bi flag more, so that is what I typically use. And it’s easier for a layman to understand.

This is the definition I go by and why I swapped to Pansexual.

Bisexual is attracted to more than one gender and CAN include all the same attractions as a Pansexual.

Pansexual IS attraction to all genders.

So yeah all pansexuals are bisexual but not all bisexuals are pansexuals, they could be trans excluding, that's sufficiently vague enough that Pansexual is its own thing.

If you're a trans person on say a dating app that makes all the difference in considering whether or not someone is safe.

So if you think there's no difference that's wrong. Could be that a bisexual is attracted to specifically women and nonbinary people, could be men and women, could be any other genders and it's not limited to two. Pansexuals skips that and says literally every gender.

You're only pansexual if you're from the Panne region of France, otherwise you're just sparkling bisexual.

So the definitions I've seen here are:

• Bisexuals are only attracted to cis people, pansexuals are attracted to cis, trans, and nonbinary people
• Bisexuals are only attracted to binary genders, while pansexuals are attracted to all genders
• Bisexuals are attracted based on looks, pansexuals are attracted based on personality (possibly means they're demi too)
• Bisexuals are attracted to people because of gendered characteristics, pansexuals are attracted to people regardless of gendered characteristics (not really sure what this one means, different wording of the previous one?)
• Bisexuals are attracted to more than one gender, pansexuals are attracted to all genders
• Bisexuals are monogamous, pansexuals are polyamorous
• Bisexuals like the bi flag, pansexuals like the pan flag
• Plus various other joke definitions

Did I miss any? A couple of these were new to me. Innovations in the discourse?

Bisexual: attracted to two or more genders and are autumn or winter coloring.

Pansexual: attracted to more than one gender, and are a spring or summer.

The difference is that they’re both getting fucked over and not in the sexy way…

Wait that’s not a difference

I'd say the only meaningful distinction is that some people make up a definition "bi" could have had but never did, and then use "pan" in opposition to that 😛

But more honestly I asked my sister why she identifies as pan rather than bi, and her answer was that bi attracted the wrong people and pan attracted the right people 😉