Sara ✌

Is pansexuality an actual sexual orientation, or is it just biphobia masquerading as one? I’ve asked a few people and their answers might surprise you.

Let’s talk about that.

I should probably start by saying that I, personally, identify as bisexual. Although it’s pretty obvious to me that pansexuality might just be more inclusive in some people’s eyes, I do believe there’s nothing wrong with the new, current definition of bisexuality - that is, ‘being attracted to two OR more genders, even those outside of the spectrum’.

However, I’ve got nothing against those who identify themselves as pansexual and I even understand why. The fact that there is so much transphobia (nbphobia and interphobia as well, should I add) in the LGBT community, and particularly within the bisexual community, might result in some people feeling extremely uncomfortable and thus deciding to label themselves as something other than ‘bisexual’. And that’s OK.

However, I spoke to a few people (not necessarily bisexual, mind you) recently who firmly believe that what we call pansexuality is, in reality, nothing but a, ‘neoliberal term and actually extremely biphobic’.

How so?

Indeed, I did find myself intrigued by those, may I say, wild claims. Here’s what they got to say:

“That’s a stupid label. It’s really dumb. Isn’t bisexuality good enough for them? Because it does already cover all those genders they’ve come up with, you know, maverique and the likes of it. I think it’s just a neoliberal term and actually extremely biphobic.”

“I never really understood why anyone would identify themselves as pansexual when there’s something called bisexuality which should satisfy their needs. Those claims that our community is not inclusive enough, I think that’s an overstatement. It’s the LGBT we’re talking about here, after all.”

“It’s pretty biphobic if you ask me, really, because they’re like, acting as if they were so pure and morally superior… as if we were not inclusive or something. It irks me. Rubs me off the wrong way. And they’re not, they’re actually not.”

So, what should we make of this?

As I see it, some people are so obstinate -unreasonably so- in believing that there is absolutely no transphobia whatsoever in our community (and that is, I’m afraid, sadly not true) that it completely flies right over their head why some pansexuals may feel a bit conflicted when it comes to bisexuality.

It is crucial, then, to understand that even if pansexuality and bisexuality do sometimes overlap in some aspects, they’re separate, entirely valid sexual orientations by themselves.

There is merely a subtle political distinction between the two if we look at the definitions, but the truth is, whilst many bisexuals still do embrace the gender binary, pansexuals do not - and that’s why whether we like it or not, whether we believe it’s ‘all the same’, pansexuality will not go away unless the bisexual community becomes more accepting, open-minded and tolerant.

References: 

https://twitter.com

https://rainbowgenderpunk.wordpress.com/2011/11/12/10-panphobic-myths-debunked/

http://www.stop-homophobia.com/pansexuality.htm

http://bust.com/sex/12536-5-common-myths-about-bisexuality-pansexuality-debunked.html

http://the-unpopular-opinions.tumblr.com/post/44257150249/pansexuality-isnt-real-i-know-this-is-going-to

https://www.reddit.com/r/unpopularopinion/comments/2zih5d/pansexuality_isnt_real/

The so-called “gender pay gap”, or the average difference between men and women’s earnings has been one of the most discussed issues this year - but is it real? And if so, how does it affect women?

Let’s talk about that.

Many experts have argued that this disparity is, in reality, an over-exaggerated half-truth - but how much truth is there to that claim? Statistically, it is a fact that women do earn, on average, less than men for doing the same job.

But why is that?

One of the main causes is how women’s competencies and skills are valued in certain sectors - or undervalued. However, it is interesting to note that, whilst that is factually true, it’s got more to do with a dangerously high segregation in the labour market, which only further reinforces the pay gap.

And what is the cause of such occupational segregation? For some, it is personal choices made by women. Others believe it is linked to maternity, traditions, and stereotypes.

So now we’re left with seemingly contradicting opinions - or maybe not.

It is true that women do make those choices voluntarily -there is not, most of the time, someone holding a gun to their head- but is it really so far-fetched to think that those same women are choosing their careers, or applying for a certain job, because society has inculcated into them the notion that, sooner or later, they will have to drop out of the race because of family responsibilities (among others)? I think not.

Look at it this way: if somebody told you that, eventually, you’d have to quit your job -whether you like it or not- to take care of your family, would you invest your time and money in an expensive, long career? Exactly.

And this is, I believe, a subconscious choice many women make. Traditions and stereotypes (the infamous hegemonic patriarchy), especially those regarding maternity and family responsibilities, have long favoured men (which explains why women with children or elderly relatives usually end up working part-time jobs or staying at home) .

Unfortunately, it is a fact that there currently are many cultural and financial factors which impede men from taking care of, say, their children, without penalising and figuratively crippling them - and if men can’t, who’s going to do it? Women. Because either way, if they don’t, they’re still going to make less compared to fathers.

But wait, so what if you don’t want to have children? Will the gender pay gap still affect you?

Most likely, it will - but that is not always the case. Availability is very desirable when it comes to the labour market and women without caregiving responsibilities can work longest and less flexible hours, just like their male counterparts - although ultimately whether it affects a woman or not also depends on that woman’s age, race, and occupation.

So, in reality, the gender pay gap is so much more than just a number. It is an issue far more complex than just saying, “women earn x (less) for every y (more) a man makes, JUST BECAUSE!”

In fact, reducing the issue to just that, another statistic in a sea of numbers, graphs and data, is a very dangerous thing - because not only does it not capture its complexity, it also utterly fails to explain why this is still happening and sometimes it’s enormously misleading, regardless of the accuracy of the statistic.

In order to understand the complexity of it, we shall go deeper than just a few numbers. And, in turn, it might help us understand what we can do in order to mitigate its effects, reduce the gender pay gap, and ultimately eliminate it.

References: 

http://ec.europa.eu/justice/gender-equality/gender-pay-gap/index_en.htm

http://www.vox.com/2016/8/1/12108126/gender-wage-gap-explained-real

http://www.forbes.com/sites/karinagness/2016/04/12/dont-buy-into-the-gender-pay-gap-myth/#eb73e84766a6

https://www.wgea.gov.au/addressing-pay-equity/what-gender-pay-gap

http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2015/11/22/the-entire-gender-pay-gap-explained-in-just-one-number-5-7/#348211281db6

It’s not that serious.

It was never supposed to be that serious.

Especially since most of the drama and hurt revolves around shipping.

All of the ships are fictional. Being canon doesn’t actually negate the fact that the ship isn’t real. 

No ship, or any aspect of a fictional universe, is important enough to treat another real life human being badly. 

it says something about the state of media depicting wlw that when I say “hey I want a cute light-hearted rom com about a gay lady featuring multiple other non-straight people with fully developed personalities” the response is “how about a horribly depressing movie about a homophobic family having to learn to deal with the fact that their daughter is gay and getting married to a cardboard cutout of alexis bledel”

like if I said I wanted a happy period rom com no one is going to recommend the duchess (v depressing, do not recommend), but there’s so few lbpq ladies in movies and shit that people try to tell me that two completely different movie concepts in two completely different genres are basically interchangeable because ~lesbians~ like fuck no. i will not settle for your depressing “unhappy gays” genre bullshit

no im not