Where did Pansexuality come from?

The term "pansexualism" was coined in 1917 by critics of Sigmund Freud[3], then reintroduced online with a July 31, 2003 Urban Dictionary entry by user saki[1].

What does Pansexuality mean?

It means attraction not sorted by gender, and is often distinguished from bisexuality by including intersex and nonbinary people instead of assuming a male-female split[1].

How do you use Pansexuality?

It's used as a self-identifier in bios, dating profiles and coming-out posts, such as Morgan Marsh's 2014 YouTube video coming out to her father[5].

Is Pansexuality still popular?

The label is still an established identity term in LGBTQ communities, with mainstream visibility that spiked in 2015 after Miley Cyrus identified as pansexual in an Elle interview[3].

Pansexuality

Q: What is Pansexuality?

Pansexuality is attraction to people of any sex or gender identity, explicitly including nonbinary, intersex and trans people rather than framing attraction around a two-gender model[1].

2003identity termclassic

Published September 20, 2026

Pansexuality, also known as Omnisexuality, is a sexual orientation defined by attraction to people of any sex or gender identity. Coined in 1917 as a critique of Freud and rebuilt online through a 2003 Urban Dictionary entry, a 2011 Tumblr pride flag and celebrity coming-outs, the label grew into one of the most-searched LGBTQ identity terms of the 2010s.

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Overview

Pansexual writers describe attraction that isn't sorted by gender at all, explicitly including nonbinary, intersex and trans people rather than folding them into a two-option model1. That framing pushes the label past the male-and-female split that bisexuality is often read as covering, and the difference between the two terms has been argued over in pan and bi spaces for more than a decade1.

The identity comes with its own visual shorthand. The pansexual pride flag, three horizontal stripes of pink, yellow and blue posted to Tumblr in 2011 by user JustJasper, became the standard graphic used in profile bios and pride events3. A running joke about pansexuals being attracted to frying pans grew alongside the label, half self-deprecating from pan users and half a lazy jab from critics, and it now shows up as a shared in-community gag.

Celebrity coming-outs pushed the word further into pop-culture press. Educator Laci Green identified as pansexual in a 2012 YouTube video2 and vlogger Jim Chapman published an explainer in 20144, both helping wider audiences hear the term before Miley Cyrus's 2015 Elle interview made it front-page material.

Origin & Background

Platform

Urban Dictionary / Tumblr (viral spread)

Creator

JustJasper; term itself has no single creator

Date

2003

"Pansexualism" was originally coined in 1917 by critics of Sigmund Freud, who used it as a jab at his theories that all desire traced back to sexual instinct3. That academic sneer was rebuilt decades later into a positive self-label for attraction not bounded by gender.

The internet-native version of the term shows up on Urban Dictionary on July 31, 2003, when user saki posted an entry defining pansexuality as "one who can love sexuality in many forms"1. A "pansexual" page went up on Wiktionary in November 2007, and by the early 2010s the word was in wide circulation across Tumblr, Reddit and dictionary sites.

How It Spread

How to Use This Meme

People use "pansexual" mainly as a self-identifier in bios, dating profiles and coming-out posts, typically paired with the pink-yellow-blue pride flag and standard pronoun tags. Coming-out posts and videos are a common convention, such as Morgan Marsh's 2014 clip filming her father's reaction5. Inside pan communities, jokes about being "attracted to frying pans" often show up as a shared bit.

Pansexuality

Overview

Origin & Background

How It Spread

How to Use This Meme

Frequently Asked Questions

References (5)