#multisexualities

Bisexual | Polysexual | Pansexual

Whoa. Looks like pansexual is another term that has evolved a lot since its first use, according to this definition. Again, I can’t find many decent sources on pansexuality and its origins, but it would appear that everything I come across still says ‘bisexuality is always binarist’. I personally ID as bisexual which is tricky in itself since I don’t see myself as belonging to the gender binary. I actually haven’t met many bisexuals who limit their definition to the binary or who are unforgiving of a bisexual person with different preferences to them. I’m sure there are bisexuals who adhere to the gender binary, just as there are bisexuals who don’t.

A few of my favourite posts on the complications defining bisexuality are here and here (the second contains a link with the definitions of bisexuality used by a large number of bisexual groups around the world. To my knowledge it does not touch on whether the definitions are appropriating other multisexualities, and does not have countries outside of western society included (this makes some sense, as if you are oppressing somebody, whether or not you know about it your first instinct is to deny it. If bisexuals have indeed taken their definitions from other multisexualities, the groups would not admit it).

That’s a good point. What do you think of the term trans* to cover non-binary gender identities, then? Or asexual (side note - I found a lesbian blog that described the A as Ally and I wanted to throw things) being used to cover demisexuality and other terms that denote more gray sexual and romantic attractions? Are they also erasing the lesser-known identities beneath them? (I say lesser-known because where I am from pansexuality isn’t even a known word, due to ignorance.)

Is bi*sexual with the asterisk a better usage as an umbrella term to cover non-monosexualities, or do you think there’s a more appropriate word to explain the multiple sexualities without adding to the LGBTQIA+ acronym? (I’ve seen people in and outside of the broader queer communities complaining about all the letters. I don’t agree myself, but I can understand why some people who aren’t interested in doing their research would think there’s too much to remember.)