Aside from the being gender-fluid (and a lot of other technicalities which would also tie into why my significant other did not change my sexual orientation), this article is strictly about pansexuality/bisexuality.
It's been a gray topic for as long as I can remember.
So many people I've encountered cannot fathom the thought of someone being attracted to females AND males, and even go as far as to relegate the orientation to a joke by calling us greedy because we can't pick one gender.
It is also assumed that if you end up entering into a relationship with someone, it means you "picked a side".
A well known actress Anna Paquin, spoke out about this common misconception with Larry King during an interview when she was asked if being married to Stephan Moyer meant she decided to go straight.
She made it clear that, choosing to marry a male does not mean she lost her attraction towards other genders. She still feels that desire. It only means she fell in love with someone and the gender did not have anything to do with it.
A lot of other celebrities have come out as bisexual or pansexual.
A few of the more well known ones are:
Miley Cyrus
She is very open about her sexuality and is an avid supporter of the LGBT community.
Angelina Jolie
Another actress who is married but does not make a big deal out of admitting that "of course" she's bisexual.
Alan Cumming
He has been very open about his numerous relationships with either gender and is also a supporter of polyamory (directly translates to: many loves) as well.
- and last but not least -
David Bowie
He admitted to being bisexual in an interview with Playboy in 1976 and states it was the best thing that ever happened to him.
The support from people we idolize really helps the community to break the stereotypes and reach out to people who don't understand or simply choose not to.
Being pansexual does not make me "half-gay" or greedy because I can't pick one gender. I love souls not bodies. My personal belief is that is how it should be.
When I met my significant other, I chose him because of who he was as a person, not his gender. Being with him did not "turn me straight".
My story is only one of many. It is definitely time to take a moment to try to understand different sexual orientations and not dismiss any of them as not real. There are people who fancy the opposite sex. There are people who prefer the same sex and, like myself, there are people who can appreciate anybody whether male or female, gender-fluid, transgender, etc. etc.
We are bisexual/pansexual, yes it's a real thing, and we are not going anywhere.