Amongst all the differentsexualitiesthat exist, there are two specific sexual identities that often get confused:demisexualityandpansexuality.
What Does Demisexual Mean?
Demisexuality, unlike many other sexual identities, does not have anything to do with gender.
Verywell / Alison Czinkota
Rather, it’s about time and connection.
That’s simply when the language was created and became commonly used by those who felt it fit them.
They findsexual connection and chemistrywith strangers right off the bat.
Conversely, other people think that sounds terrible.
Demisexuals require a connection so you can feel attraction, and building a solid connection can often take time.
What Does Pansexual Mean?
Unlike demisexuality, pansexuality doesn’t have anything to do with emotional ties.
A pansexual person is one who is attracted to others of all genders.
Some pansexual people have preferred genders they gravitate towards and others do not.
People who identify as pansexual are attracted to people of all genders.
The term pansexuality was coined in the early 1900s.
Sigmund Freud referred to it as “pan-sexualism” and it appeared in the 1914 Journal of Abnormal Psychology.
That said, there is plenty of individuality within the pansexual identity, just like with everything in life.
This identity is most closely related tobisexuality.
A person who is demisexual is unlikely to rush into a romantic or sexual relationship.
Therefore, the identity of demisexuality plays a large overall role in physical and romantic relationships.
There’s no hard and fast rule about that at all.
Let’s examine them.
Because of that, they require connection first, before romantic or sexual relationships.
A pansexual person might like to build a romantic connection first, or not.
Conversely, demisexuality has nothing at all to do with gender.
A demisexual person might be heterosexual, queer, questioning, or any other identity.
When they choose partners, those partners might be of the same gender as them or a different one.
One person might be very into that, whereas another might avoid it completely.
However, that isn’t the case with demisexual people.
Demisexuality involves closeness before attraction, so casual connections are generally off the table completely.
Similarities Between Pansexuality and Demisexuality
It’s completely possible for a person to be pansexual and demisexual.
That’s completely dependent on the individual who identifies in that manner.
That’s because many people are still learning how to define their sexual identity or gender.
Also, it can take time to truly understand yourself or others.
Additionally, it takes time for scientific research to be done.
As of now, there aren’t any known peer-reviewed studies published about demisexuality.
That can make it extra difficult for a culture to nail down exactly what the identity entails.
them.InQueery: The Past and Popular Usage of the Term “Pansexual”.them.
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