Cartoon by Michelle Phillips
Gay, bisexual and lesbian Americans have made so much progress this century and are slowly winning the understanding and respect of our country. Pansexuals, however, have work to do.
Pansexual is defined as a person who is sexually interested in people regardless of their sex. They are a minority in the LGBTQ community. Some deny that pansexuality is even a true sexual orientation.
Pansexual people can be attracted to males, females or people who do not fit the norm of binary genders. A pansexual person can be romantically involved with anyone they have an attraction to. Pansexuals focus more on other qualities of a person rather than their sex.
Pansexual people face prejudice and misconceptions, including the fallacy that they are attracted to anyone that walks and into fetisihes. This makes it extremely hard for young pansexuals looking for support. Exclusion by the LGBTQ community can lead to isolation, confusion, depression and anxiety since there is no way to talk to someone about this sexual orientation.
A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Center for Health Statistics found that 96.6 percent of U.S. adults identified as straight, 1.6 percent identified as gay or lesbian, 0.7 percent identified as bisexual. The remaining 1.1 percent were split between 0.2 percent identified as something else, 0.4 percent selected “I don’t know” and the last 0.6 percent refused to answer. Pansexuals were not mentioned.
Gallup, however, reports that 3.8 percent of the American population self identify as LGBT. This difference in percentages of the LBGT population is because of over exposure of LGBT people in pop culture and mainstream media. Pansexuals, bisexual and trans were not mentioned.
The Williams Institute estimates that 3.5 percent of adults in the United States identify as LGB and estimates that 0.3 percent as transgender. Pansexuality is not mentioned.
There are many reasons why these numbers differ, one major reason is because sexuality is fluid. Another may be because the person is not comfortable sharing their sexuality. Short of that, unless we ask every single person, we are only able to work off of estimated numbers.
Pansexual people take pride in their sexuality, though most claim bisexual since it is much easier to explain. Unfortunately, some LGBTQ people are the harshest critics of pansexuals. Some consider anything outside the gay and bisexual binary genders to be “special snowflake syndrome.”
There is no wrong or right way to feel about someone’s sexuality, but it is wrong to judge him or her based on it. It is fine for someone to change labels for themselves, especially if they are still growing and finding themselves.
Intolerance can be avoided or at least lessened by educating people. We need therapists, counselors, doctors, help lines and advocates in the LGBTQ community to acknowledge and support pansexuality. We need a support system for teens and adults who are struggling with their sexuality. We need support from loved ones and close friends. We should all celebrate Pan Pride Day on Dec. 8.
No matter what, it is always important to treat people with respect.
