British model Cara Delevingne has just revealed her pansexuality, as other celebrities have done before her. But concretely, what is a pansexual?
Cara Delevingne revealed to Vanity Fair that she was pansexual. “I will always be, I think, pansexual. No matter how someone defines themselves, whether it’s “they”, “he” or “she”, I fall in love with that person. And I’m attracted to the person“, said the 27-year-old model, who recently separated from actress Ashley Benson. Like the British actress, several personalities have claimed responsibility pansexual, such as the singer Miley Cyrus, Christine and The Queens, or Pirate’s heart. Concretely, what is pansexuality?
Definition of pansexuality
The term pansexuality is one of those words that come up more and more regularly in our readings but whose precise meaning sometimes escapes us. The sexual liberation of our modern societies has allowed the emergence of new names used to define different sexual practices which, after having been taboo for too long, are no longer hidden. We can for example quote:
- Skoliosexuality
- Lithromanticism
- Polysexuality
- Asexuality
The word pansexuality comes from the Greek, the prefix “pan” meaning “all”. Also referred to as omnisexuality, it is about the sexual orientation of people who are likely to be attracted sentimentally or sexually by other individuals without distinction of gender or sex. Pansexuality goes beyond the male and female genders, including those who define themselves as transgender, cisgender, queer, intersex or transsexual.
Do not confuse pansexuality and bisexuality
If pansexuality and bisexuality are two terms that denote an attraction to more than one gender, these two sexual orientations should nevertheless not be confused:
- Pansexuality does not recognize the female and male genders, and thus admits an attraction to those who define themselves as transsexual or transgender.
- Bissexuality is based on the gender distinction between men and women.
To put it simply, the pansexuality, it is the fact of being able to be attracted to any human being in a context where being a man or a woman is only purely secondary. It is to love beyond genres and identity.
Panromanticism
While a pansexual person will feel sexually and physically attracted to another individual, the panromantic may fall in love and experience real affection for a person but the sexual sphere will be totally left out. A panromantic is only interested in feelings experienced, it is the personality of the individual who faces him that counts. We can also use the term omniromantism to talk about panromanticism.
A recognized and celebrated sexual orientation
Like homosexuality, bisexuality or transsexuality, pansexuality is now recognized as a full-fledged sexual orientation.
- Pansexuality is represented by a flag of its own. Created in the 2000s, it sports a magenta stripe (for the female side) and a blue stripe (for the male side) separated by a yellow stripe (signifying neutrality).
- The international day of pansexuality is coupled with that of bisexuality and takes place on September 23.
- Public figures like Miley Cyrus or Chris (formerly Christine and the Queens) define themselves as pansexual and campaign for the defense of LGBTQI + populations.
