The range of sexual identities is vast. From heterosexual to transgender and then to asexual, the umbrella of sexuality is large. One such type is pansexuality. In the Greek language, ‘pan’ stands for 'all', and this is what encapsulates pansexuality.

Pansexuals or omnisexuals are part of the LGBTQIA+ community and feel sexual attraction towards another person regardless of their gender. Pansexuality indeed is a gender blind, romantic and sexual involvement.

Why do people tend to get confused between pansexuality and bisexuality? When this question was asked to clinical psychologist and sex therapist, Dr Christopher Ryan Jones, he said:

“People are still often confused between gender and sex. The term bisexual has been around much longer and sometimes becomes synonymous with being attracted to anyone - and that's not necessarily the case. Bisexual means you are attracted to both sexes and doesn’t consider the issue of gender at all. The term pansexuality takes into consideration the current understanding of gender and how it can be different than sex. It is an important distinction because some bisexual individuals may not be attracted to transgender individuals.”

Understanding your sexuality can be tricky. While there is no need to fit yourself into one label, it is still crucial to be aware of your preferences. Though, keep in mind that sexual orientation is fluid and can change throughout your lifetime depending on situations and conditions.

To figure out things, you can ask yourself a bunch of questions like:

• Is there any gender that I don’t feel attracted to?
• Am I romantically attracted to the same people I’m sexually attracted to?

From Alan Cumming to Miley Cyrus, pansexuality has been the sexual orientation of a lot of people. Seeing everyone with the same eye is a blessing, indeed. Your sexuality is a very personal thing, and there is no right or wrong answer to it.

All you need to do is understand what makes you feel happy and comfortable. And then, if you decide to label yourself a pansexual, that is your choice.

While any sexual identity apart from heterosexual is not widely welcome in our country, accepting yourself and loving yourself as who you becomes even more critical. Once you make peace with your sexual orientation, you will be able to make your loved ones make peace with it too.

Contributor: Dr Christopher Ryan Jones, PsyD, clinical psychologist, sex therapist, and the host of the Confessions Of A Sex Therapist podcast. He is an expert in human sexuality and has conducted a pioneering study on the relationship between gender identity, sexuality, and religion, which has been peer-reviewed and published.