On December 8th, America celebrates National Pansexual Pride Day and the strides are taken by the pansexual and panromantic community to be accepted and understood. The term has become more visible in recent years through pop culture as celebrities such as Miley Cyrus who have identified as pansexual. Pansexuality has allowed the LGBTQ+ community and beyond to push how they view gender, sexuality, and romanticism. It continues to create a more open and accepting space for everyone to explore their identities.
Here is the quick and proud timeline of National Pansexual Pride Day:
1914 – The term first appeared as ‘pansexualism,’ and was described as sex being “the motivator of all things.” In the 1970’s the definition was changed and used to describe a sexual orientation after people began using the term as an identity.
1974 – The New York Times published an article mentioning the term, putting the term pansexuality forward and helping raise awareness. The 1990s – The term ‘sexual fluidity’ was coined and used through the queer community as a way to better understand pansexuality.
2010 – The pansexual flag appeared on the internet in the colors pink, yellow, and blue. Its purpose was to represent trans, intersex, agender, bigender, third Gender, nonbinary, and fluid orientations.
2018 – Singer/actress Janelle Monae publicly identified as pansexual, which led the word to be one of the year’s most searched terms.
