Is Bisexuality Old-Fashioned Now?

That question is almost absurd to me, considering just ten years ago, bisexuality seemed to be edgy and almost taboo. Yet here we are, in the day and age of pansexual millennials and I’m noticing a huge change in public labeling, where celebrities and private people alike are choosing the term ‘pansexual’ over ‘bisexual’ now. Why and what does this mean for bisexuals? Is it just the new term for being bi? What does this say about society and where we’re headed?

Well, first let me say that this is all just semantics if we want to intellectualize it to death. But let’s just deal with the modern day lexicon and how it evolves with each new generation to encompass the ideals and values of the current paradigm shift. In this case, it seems that the term ‘pansexual’ is more inclusive than the term ‘bisexual’. Which is obvious by the terms themselves, with the prefix ‘pan’ being derived from Greek meaning ‘all’ and the prefix ‘bi’ from Latin denoting ‘doubly, having two’. So, it makes perfect sense that if someone feels that they are attracted to more then just the two binary genders of cis-female and cis-male, that they would prefer to use the term ‘pansexual.’ Some of you may be wondering, what is more then cis-male and cis-female, and that answer is trans men and trans women as well as non-gendered individuals. There are probably more options than that, and if I missed some please let me know in the comments. But for the purpose of this post, that will have to do for now. 

So, we now see more and more celebrities using the ‘non-label’ of ‘pansexuality’. Except that it is a label. Duh. Yes, it’s so inclusive as to almost not exist I suppose. But the word/label still exists and more and more people are identifying with it. The why is sort of simple, as stated above, because they’re just into the person on the inside, not the body. Basically, right? You know, when someone says they ‘fall in love with the person and not the gender’ …. That right there is usually an attempt to avoid labels but now that we have ‘pansexual’ it just sort of sums that whole statement up in one easy word. 

What does this mean for bisexuality? Is being ‘bi’ a things of the past?

Well, in my personal opinion, I do think bisexuality is going to sort of phase out of style for a while. And no, I don’t think bisexuality is a phase, I just mean, I think we evolve as a society over time and we use new terms as these new terms become more applicable and acceptable in modern times. The term pansexual and the fact that more and more people are using it, makes me hopeful for what that means to the larger picture. Because what it means is inclusivity, in the way that pansexuality does not exclude any person from the possibility of love. It means equality, in the way that it allows each individual an equal chance to fall in love with them, regardless of their bodies or labels. It means growth and acceptance, as individuals within society open up their hearts to all versions of human, and realize that we really are more than our bodies and that the connection between people really can be on a heart level that transcends physical appearances. 

Do you think bisexuality is being replaced by pansexuality? If so, why or why not? 

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