Panromantic

A panromantic flag.

**Panromantic**, often shortened to **pan**, is a romantic orientation in which one experiences romantic attraction to all genders, and often regardless of gender. It can also be defined as romantic attraction which is not limited by gender, or is gender-inclusive. Gender often plays little to no role in a panromantic person's attraction. This may mean that they have few or no gender-based preferences, are attracted to all genders equally, and/or are attracted to all genders in the same ways, at the same time. This is sometimes referred to as being "gender-blind."

Some use the panromantic label as a way to express their attraction to all genders, but not necessarily regardless of gender. It is possible for a panromantic person to have gender preferences, or experience attraction to different genders in different ways. This is similar to biromanticism and omniromanticism, and some use multiple terms to describe their experiences.

## Etymology

The term "panromantic" comes from the prefix *pan-*, meaning "all," and "romantic," denoting romantic orientation.

## Distinction

### Biromantic

***Main article:*** *Biromantic*

Biromantic is a romantic orientation in which one experiences attraction to two or more genders. This definition overlaps with panromanticism, but is not the same. A biromantic person may or may not experience attraction to all genders, whereas attraction to all genders is inherent to panromanticism. In other words, biromanticism is more broad, and may encompass people who experience attraction to multiple (but not all) genders, whereas panromanticism does not. Some people identify with the biromantic and panromantic labels simultaneously, while others identify with only one.

### Omniromantic

***Main article:*** *Omniromantic*

Omniromantic is a romantic orientation in which one experiences attraction to all genders, often with gender playing a role in one's attraction, rather than lacking preferences or gender-differentiation. This definition overlaps with panromanticism, and is sometimes synonymous, referring to romantic attraction towards all genders. However, gender is often specified to play a role in omniromantic attraction, whereas it typically plays little to no role in panromantic attraction. Some people identify as panromantic and omniromantic simultaneously.

### Polyromantic

***Main article:*** *Polyromantic*

Polyromantic is a romantic orientation in which one experiences attraction to multiple (but not necessarily all) genders. Panromanticism, on the other hand, involves attraction to all genders.

## Flag

The pansexual flag was designed by Jasper V as late as October 8, 2010. The colors were specified on their Tumblr blog on January 27, 2011, if not earlier:

> I chose pink, yellow and blue[...] because pink and blue have come to be accepted to represent binary[...], while yellow is a bright colour, that [symbolizes] life and happiness in many cultures, and is neglected by most queer-representing flags. Yellow makes it stand out from the bisexual colours, representing non-binary attraction, while the similar use of pink/blue[...] acknowledges the similarity of having attraction fall into the binary.
>
> - Jasper V, Tumblr (quoted on a different blog)

Nearly a decade later, on August 13, 2019, Jasper V verified the color meanings on Twitter:

> Pink and blue, because of their gendered traditions, and yellow, a generally non-gendered colour, to represent nonbinary folks etc.
>
> - Jasper V, Twitter

The panromantic version of this flag is more pale than the pansexual flag, aside from a heart in the center, which has the same colors as the original flag. Another panromantic version of this flag simply has a heart in the top left corner. Another version of the flag has the pan symbol in the center, as well as half of a red heart.

Another panromantic flag was designed by Tumblr user nepkrisprite as late as September 2, 2015. Blue and red represent romantic attraction to binary men and women, likely respectively. Green represents romantic attraction to genderless and gender neutral people. Orange represents attraction to nonbinary people. The slight "mixing" of colors (created by placing small lines between each stripe) represents romantic attraction to multigender and genderfluid people.

The flag was later edited by Mod Kat, removing the blurring between the stripes.

## Symbol

The pan symbol is the letter 'P' with a Mars-Venus symbol on the tail. The 'P' stands for pansexuality/panromanticism, due to it being the first letter of the word. Additionally, Mars (♂) is commonly used to represent men and masculinity, Venus (♀) is commonly used to represent women and femininity, and symbols combining the two are often used to represent transgender and nonbinary people. This represents attraction to all genders, or gender-inclusive attraction. It is unclear how the pan symbol originated, but it has been said to predate the pan flags. There is also a specifically panromantic version with half of a red heart on the left side.

Frying pans are also sometimes used as a pan symbol. This is a pun on the word "pan," and is sometimes paired with the idea that pan people come out of the pantry, cupboard, or cabinet, rather than out of the closet. However, some people use frying pans as a way to disrespect pans people, imply that pans people are "literally attracted to kitchenware," or otherwise not take people's identities seriously. Depending on the context, frying pans can either be a symbol of pride, or can be considered rude.

Pancakes are also sometimes used as a pan symbol, as another pun on "pan." The pancakes usually feature the colors of the pansexual pride flag: pink, yellow, and blue. This can also be considered an asexual panromantic (or otherwise ace-spec pan) symbol, due to the presence of "cake," which is a common asexual symbol.

## Gallery

The pan symbol.The r/pansexual logo.PanCake pride art by u/bloomdust.The panromantic flag by nepkrisprite, without the blurring between stripes.
## Notes

1. ↑ The phrase "gender-blind," while commonly used to describe panromanticism, is sometimes criticized for potentially ableist connotations, and potential invalidation and dismissal of people's genders.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 List of LGBTQ+ terms. Stonewall. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Terms & Definitions. Amherst College.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 PFLAG National Glossary of Terms. PFLAG. Archived from the original on October 14, 2022.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Hardell, Ash. *The ABC's of LGBT+*. Mango Media Inc., 2016. ISBN 9781633534087.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 What is Bisexuality?. bisexual resource center (2021). Archived from the original on October 14, 2022.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 WebMD Editorial Contributors (2021-06-28). What Is Bisexual?. WebMD. Archived from the original on October 14, 2022.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Pansexual. The Trans Language Primer.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 Lane, S. Nicole (2022-05-02). What Is Pansexuality?. Verywell Health.
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 MasterClass (2021-06-07). Pansexuality Explained: What It Means to Be Pansexual. MasterClass.
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 Maheshwari-Aplin, Prishita (2022-05-23). 5 common misconceptions about pansexuality. Stonewall.
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Cade, Nicky (2022-05-23). Laws of Attraction: Omnisexual vs. Pansexual. Greatist.
12. ↑ Sotska, Julia (2022-12-19). Polysexual - What is it? What does it mean?. Taimi.
13. ↑ What is polysexuality?. Feeld (2020-01-03).
14. ↑ Jasper V. Pansexual Pride Flag | Hex Color Codes. Tumblr. Archived from the original on August 24, 2011.
15. ↑ Jasper V. untitled Twitter post. Twitter.
16. ↑ pansexualparty (2011-01-27). FAQ - What do the colours mean?. Tumblr. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014.
17. ↑ Jasper V. untitled Twitter post. Twitter.
18. ↑ Pride-Flags (2016-05-09). Panromantic (5). DeviantArt. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020.
19. ↑ Panromantic Flag. Rocky Mountain Flag Company.
20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 pride-color-schemes (2016-07-04). Pan-. Tumblr.
21. ↑ Pride-Flags (2016-04-25). Panromantic (4). DeviantArt.
22. ↑ Pride-Flags (2015-09-02). Panromantic (2). DeviantArt.
23. ↑ Pride-Flags (2015-09-02). Panromantic (1). DeviantArt.
24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Everything you need to know about the Pansexual flag, symbol, and colors. PansexualColors.com.
25. ↑ LGBTQ+ Symbols & Meanings. De Montfort University.
26. ↑ History of the Pride Flag (2015-03-10). Archived from the original on March 8, 2021.
27. ↑ Nangeroni, Nancy R. (July 1994). Transgender Symbol. GenderTalk.
28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 levoothan (2021-10-25). The whole frying pan thing. Reddit.
29. ↑ kristen\_the\_boring (2019-11-24). Out of the pantry?. Reddit.
30. ↑ Idontfuckpans (2020-03-20). Coming out of the pantry. Urban Dictionary.
31. ↑ TheHolyR0manEmpire (2021-04-08). Pansexual shouldn't come out of the closet.. Reddit.
32. ↑ Absolute\_Zer01 (2021-04-08). "I came out of the cupboard like all the other pans!". Reddit.
33. ↑ I Didn't Come Out Of The Closet (Pansexual) Coffee Mug. LookHUMAN.
34. ↑ Pastel Goth Otaku (2017-06-07). DIY Pansexual Pancakes. YouTube.
35. ↑ The Pansexual Pancake Breakfast. Constant Contact (2017).
36. ↑ Why\_U\_Readin\_Dis (2019-03-04). Im making PANcakes. Reddit.
37. ↑ bloomdust (2020-02-03). If you're pan and ace, that makes you a PanCake!. Reddit.
38. ↑ ANIMALGAMER14. Reddit (2019-11-04).