What pansexual means
Someone who is pansexual can be attracted to people of any gender. "Pan" comes from the Greek for "all". Many pansexual people say gender is not a deciding factor in who they are drawn to: they are attracted to the person.
Pansexual people can be attracted to men, women, trans people and non-binary people. Being pansexual does not mean being attracted to everyone, any more than being straight means being attracted to every person of the opposite sex.
Like any orientation, it describes attraction, not behaviour. A pansexual person can be single, in a monogamous relationship or anything else.
Pansexual vs bisexual
Bisexual is usually defined as attraction to more than one gender. Pansexual is attraction regardless of gender. In practice there is a lot of overlap, and many people could use either word.
Some people choose pansexual because it feels more inclusive of trans and non-binary people, or because gender genuinely does not factor into their attraction. Others prefer bisexual, which has a longer history and community.
Neither label is better. The right word is the one that feels right to the person using it, and some people use both.
The pansexual flag and visibility
The pansexual pride flag has three horizontal stripes: pink, yellow and blue. Pink is often said to represent women, blue men, and yellow non-binary and other genders.
Public figures such as Janelle Monáe and Miley Cyrus helped bring the word into the mainstream, and searches for it have grown steadily over the past decade.
Pansexual people are part of the wider LGBTQ+ community, and Pride events across the UK are welcoming to pan people.
Common myths
Pansexual people are not "confused" or "greedy", and it is not a phase. It is also not the same as being polyamorous: orientation is about who you are attracted to, not how many partners you have. See our guide to polyamory and open relationships.
It has nothing to do with attraction to children, animals or anything else that cannot consent. It is about adults of any gender.
If someone tells you they are pansexual, the best response is a simple, respectful one. Our guide to consent and boundaries covers respect in dating more widely.
Your questions, answered
What does pansexual mean?
Being able to be attracted to people regardless of their gender.
Is pansexual the same as bisexual?
They overlap a lot; bisexual is attraction to more than one gender, pansexual is attraction regardless of gender.
What are the pansexual flag colours?
Pink, yellow and blue horizontal stripes.
