[Awareness Threads] AIDS, Asexuality, Pansexuality

[Isaac488]

Man that's got to really suck. People like that annoy me. scream  

[Uchimaki Yuuzora]

zombiemoof

Pansexuality simply means to be attracted soley to personality;
gender, orientation, and physical appearance having nothing
to do with the attraction.

Can I just go ahead and disagree with you on some of your points? (And no, not all of this long!post is in reference to you or your post, zombiemoof; I just kind of interspersed my points about my view of pansexuality together with my three dissenting points towards your post. I hope there's no confusion! ^^;)

First of all, if you're speaking literally, then you're wrong. I don't think that there's a sexual orientation currently in existence that literally means that one is "attracted solely to personality." Why? Because, as I'll repeat later, the entire purpose of defining your sexual orientation is to let others know that "these are the genders towards which I'm open to potentially being attracted to." (And by saying that, you're also acknowledging that no, you aren't going to be attracted to everybody within that(/those) gender identification(s).)

The pan- in pansexuality literally means "all" - in reference to the potential attraction to anybody within all existing gender labels (including but not limited to: male, female, transgender, transsexual, genderqueer, androgyny, agender, etc.). Again, that is not to say that pansexuals are attracted to everyone under the sun. Just as heterosexual men aren't attracted to every woman in existence/heterosexual women aren't attracted to every man in existence/homosexual men aren't attracted to every man in existence/homosexual women aren't attracted to every woman in existence/bisexuals aren't attracted to every man and woman in existence, so is the same with pansexuals.

Second, I'm sure that there are pansexuals out there who will say that what they are attracted to is gender, but that their interest isn't limited to two genders (and thus that's why they don't identify with bisexual). To you, your pansexuality may mean that you're not interested in gender, but that doesn't necessarily mean that other pansexuals will agree wholeheartedly with you. :/

Third, pairing your first statement with this one:

zombiemoof

Basically, it means that gender does not play a role in sexual
interest.

I'm sorry, but this isn't quite making sense to me. My problem with it is that you're speaking about sexual attraction - but which kind? Are you talking about something instantaneous (in which case your argument about personality and gender doesn't line up)? Or are you talking about the kind of sexual attraction that only comes when you've known someone for a while and can actually say that you do know their personality? And if you're only speaking of the latter one, have you never experienced instantaneous sexual attraction? Because if you have, then I'm pretty sure that you'd know that there has to be some sort of attraction towards gender and/or physical appearance. Nothing else would make sense.


Personally, I think it's silly to say, "Gender means absolutely nothing to me," when talking about sexual orientation (unless you identify with being asexual, in which case, gender really doesn't mean anything to in the sense of sexual attraction you because you don't necessarily experience sexual attraction anyway), because by defining your sexual orientation, you're saying, "These are the genders I'm open to being attracted to, sexually and/or otherwise."


On my part, I identify pansexuals as people who are so open to the possibility of being attracted to men, women, and those who identify outside of the gender binary (i.e., transgender, transsexual, genderqueer, androgynous, agender, etc.) that gender ends up meaning little to them on the whole. (I'm not saying that it means absolutely nothing, just that it means little in the over all scheme of things.) Because they're so open to that possibility, they'd prefer to look at a person solely according to their personality. (Of course, I don't think that that "claim to fame" is exclusive towards pansexuals alone, anyway.)


As far as the "pan" meaning attracted to everything (including your children, your dog, your house, that tree next to the sidewalk):

For those who aren't pansexual, do you go up to a heterosexual and ask if they're attracted to children of the opposite sex? Do you go up to a homosexual and ask if they're attracted to animals of the same sex? Do you go up to a bisexual and ask if they're attracted to children and/or animals (and while we're at it, let's throw in hermaphroditic plant life in, too) of either sex? NO. Because the entire reason we try and identify orientation is because we're concerned about what human genders we're attracted to.

*
Heterosexuality is concerned with being sexually attracted to members of the opposite sex.
Homosexuality is concerned with being sexually attracted to members of the same sex.
Bisexuality is concerned with being sexually attracted to members of either sex within the gender binary (male/female).
Pansexuality is concerned with being sexually attracted to members of any sex - including those within the gender binary and outside of it.

I don't think that pansexuality is meant in any way to make bisexuality seem shallow or less legitimate. The difference, to me, between the two is that bisexuality indicates an interest solely in the two most prolific genders (the gender binary) - male and female. That is not to say that I don't think that bisexuals can't fall for or be attracted to someone outside of the binary, just that it's not something that's generally considered or thought upon. Pansexuals, by contrast, do think in terms of a more fluid gender-identification and are open to being attracted to those in-and-outside the gender binary.

* I would have put asexuality on that list, but that one's a bit harder to put in simple terms (for me).  

[Zed Millar]

I can no longer be...

No, the majority of people who make bisexuality look bad are gay people. They're the ones who tend to chastise bisexuals as "fence sitters" where as heterosexuals just see them as straight people with a kink or two.

Thats how my dad sees me, as a straight boy, despite the boyfriend he knows I've been sleeping with for years. I told him I'm bi originally, which i was, and still am, but I identify gay now for emotional and personality reasons. I find men romantically attractive, I find women sexually attractive, so to speak.

I recently met an asexual, and I feel sad talking to him. His countenance is the perfect case on androgyny, he has 0 sexual interest. He says he recently started getting erections but is so disinterested/embarrassed by sex that he refuses to touch himself, and when he does he says he feels nothing. Which makes me wonder how he blushes and feels turned on, and moans when he gets erections. *shrugs* Maybe asexual means your body can be responsive sexually but personally you as a person are disinterested in doing anything about it?

A cog in the American death machine....

 

[Creator of Destruction]

@ Zed: In regards to that last bit about asexuality, I can't speak generally, but I can speak from my personal experience as an asexual woman. That last sentence pretty much nailed it, which I'm sure you can imagine is extremely awkward at times. It also makes relationships really difficult, since most people consider sex to be a huge and important part of being with another person in a romantic sense.

(Posting a thread with a "help" question about this, please feel free to stop by.)  

[HethyBanana]

Kalorn

i've heard pansexuality includes beastiality as well, but i think a more useful one would be the one you supplied. you are right about metrosexuals, but the average ignorant person thinks it's men pretending to be gay to be cool. which is not the case.

hahaah pansexuality does not include beastiality hahaha  

[DennyWaller]

asexual
well, i have no desire (at this moment) to love or do someone.  

[yureika]

i like this thread. it was very informative. xd
and honestly i feel i'm somewhere in between being pans and a. i have desire and yet i don't. not sure how to explain. i just call it undeclared for now!  

[l PHUCK]

my friend is a pansexual  

[mar00n]

♥ ѕкчрћч ѕачѕ;;....

How do you know if someone or yourself has AIDs or HIVs?.. o-o
You can't see it from the outside... right? O:

...окач ѕћє`ѕ đойє! ♥

 

[Kiami Fox]

"Try to give warning but everyone ignores me. Told you everything LOUD and CLEAR. Apparently no one in authority cares! The site will crash. Thanks a lot Admin Team!"

This prediction brought to you by Black the Conqueror!

Why do you think that, [Afflicted_Sanguinarian]?
I am seriously confused!
{my sincere apologies for the rude subject change}
And i believe that beastiality is when you hav sex with an animal. gag. erf nvm.  

[QueerxCore]

By pangender, do you mean genderqueer?  

[ichiberri13]

I think that the song 'Reflection' in mulan is great because it decribes people who dont know who they are, and can also be taken as what orientation they are.
anyone else agree?  

[KonoSetsuna]

I'm a pansexual : D
I am not bi.
I will never be bi.
I respect bi people.
I don't any sexual orientation is better than the other.
People can be sexually attractive to personality. Some people will never be open minded to accept or believe it.
But at least respect someones decision and their beliefs.
kk thxs

Quote:

I think that the song 'Reflection' in mulan is great because it decribes people who dont know who they are, and can also be taken as what orientation they are.
anyone else agree?

Awww yes, that song is good.  

[iCantare]

▶ Hm, reading this is very interesting. I hadn't before heard of asexuality, but it seems to make sense, and almost seem to characterize how I feel sometimes.
I feel the urge to be romantically involved with someone, but never in a sexual way. Then again, it may be my fear of the past talking, also. ◀

 

[Timeless Goofy]

Wow, asexuality...I like that idea
Ive heard about aids and stuff but i dont think i will be having erm "sex" anytime soon
no one likes me like that yet...
but in a health class...a book showed a picture of a p***s wif aids...it was not normal looking stare