I used to think Bella Thorne was a wannabe Lindsay Lohan, but I don’t think that anymore. I think Bella is doing her own thing, recording music, writing, acting, Instagram-modeling and Instagram-influencing. If anything, Bella has found a way to monetize her “why is she famous again” celebrity better than Lindsay Lohan ever could. I can’t say I’ve ever seen Bella in a TV show or movie, nor have I heard her music, but I acknowledge that she’s a celebrity. Begrudgingly. Anyway, Bella is currently promoting her latest book, and blame this on the slow-gossip summer months, but Bella has made headlines because she’s come out as pansexual.
When it comes to dating, Bella Thorne doesn’t define love based on gender, sexual identity or sexuality. The actress, who previously considered herself to be bisexual, has come out as pansexual, explaining in an interview with Good Morning America “you like what you like.”
“I’m actually pansexual and I didn’t know that,” Thorne, 21, revealed. “Somebody explained to me really thoroughly what that is. You like beings,” she said on the morning program while also promoting her new book Life of a Wannabe Mogul. “You like what you like. Doesn’t have to be a girl or a guy or a he or she or they or this or that. It’s literally you like personality. You just like a being.”
Thorne is currently in a long-distance relationship with Italian singer Benjamin Mascolo.
Miley Cyrus called herself pansexual for a time as well, but in recent interviews, Miley has referred to herself as bisexual repeatedly, so… whatever. I know those two labels aren’t the same thing, but I’m not sure Miley and Bella know that those two labels are not the same thing. The point is that Miley and Bella are attracted to men, women, transgender people, non-binary people, whomever. They’re attracted to the personality, they’re attracted to the soul. Lord, I hope gossip picks up soon.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I still don’t understand the difference between pansexual and bisexual even after reading her description. I wish there was an explanation/differences infographic on sexual orientation for hetero people who want to understand that way I wasn’t putting a bunch of emotional labor on people when I don’t understand the sexuality and gender spectrum stuff.
I really want to understand, but I also don’t want to put upon people who probably already are exhausted by the questions.
I am confused a bit too. If the majority of the LGBTQ + community believes there is more than one gender, why is it still ok to call onself Bi-sexual. Bi-sexual implies there are only two genders (which I guess we shouldn’t assume anymore). It is very confusing but at the same time we need to be educated on these things so as not to offend anyone.
I too have that not understanding all these words. I’m a 56 year white woman in America. I have a live and let live attitude. I’m just confused about all the labels.
Im 38 and black, I don’t think this is a white people not picking up issue. I’m also extremely confused on the gender spectrum thing, especially since transgender people are pretty easy to understand and there are scientific ways to explain it I find it easier to comprehend. When you go into the whole spectrum with dozens of genders I am completely lost.
I really want to be compassionate and kind in peoples wishes, but I also just don’t understand and I need it to be clearly explained. I also don’t want to put emotional labor on people because I sure am exhausted by constantly explaining racism and why its not about the freaking braids its about me and kim having the same hairstyle and my work telling me its too extravagant and on her its edgy.
People need an education, but there needs to be like some agreed upon by the community educational materials to post to questions, because I’m confused and there are a ton if different explanations that make things more confusing.
@Tushy sometimes its only a google away: https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/love-sex/relationships/a10315700/pansexual-meaning-myths/
I know gemcat, but look at all the different results. That cosmo article, which I’m not going to take my education from a magazine that rose from teaching women how to appeal to the male gaze, has one explanation and the other 10 results say other things.
My point is there needs to be agreed upon educational materials the same way we have easy agreed upon educational materials to educate people about racism, bias and prejudice.
I WANT to understand, but this isn’t something Google can help with and also any source that also has “how to please a man” articles is not a legitimate educational source.
I THINK bisexual people are attracted to cis-gendered people of either sex. So a bisexual man could be attracted to a cisgender man or a cisgender woman. They could date gay men or straight women or other bisexual men and women. I think pansexual encompasses being attracted to people who are cisgendered gay/straight/bisexual, but also people who are gender fluid, non-binary, transgender, transgender people who have had affirmation surgery or who have not had the surgery. I remember watching Schitt’s Creek where David explained it as being able to form an attraction to any person despite what label they carry or how they identify.
@AmyToo That is not accurate. Bisexuality has nothing to do with anyone being cis-gender. That’s a myth. Bisexual simply means you are attracted to “two or more genders.” Pansexual means you are attracted to people “regardless of gender,” or that gender doesn’t contribute to your sexual attraction.
I identify as bi, not pan, because gender IS a factor in how I’m attracted to people. But I’m attracted to cis, trans, agender, and genderfluid people. Their gender is something I notice and it’s one of the things I find attractive about them. For most people who identify as pan, gender is not a significant part of the equation. But some of the difference is generational. Pan is a newer term, and a lot of older millennials, Gen Xers, and older generations are more comfortable using Bi to mean the same thing.
You can think of it like this: Pan and Bi are like a venn diagram with a really large overlap. Our community can communicate on a scale we’ve never been able to before thanks to social media, so we’re discovering nuances that don’t fit into the old definitions of LGBT. That’s why someone can use Bi one day and Pan the next, or vice versa. Language is still evolving (and it’s actually pretty amazing to watch happen!).
But please, please, please don’t speculate if you aren’t 100% certain. Because of the myth that bi folx are only attracted to cis people, a lot of bi folx are accused of being transphobic. And that’s 100% not true. When I say, “I’m attracted to women,” it includes cis and trans women, because transwomen are women and my attraction has nothing to do with genitalia. And one of the reasons I’m proud to use Bi instead of Pan is because of Marsha Johnson, the bisexual transwoman who threw the first brick at Stonewall.
“Lord, I hope gossip picks up soon.”
But Kaiser, bored you is really funny! You are cracking me up today!
Even the Kardashians are quiet lol they usually flourish during slow gossip times.
Key point, while promoting her book she’s decided to come out as pan sexual. Bella, you do you but I find you exhausting.
And? Straight people talk about their relationships while trying to make money all the time.
And that usually ends up looking like transparent promotion too. I still remember Dana Delaney being way too revealing in an interview she did back in the 90’s? Or was it the late 80’s when she made that movie about a dominatrix that had Rosie O’Donnell in it. I never saw the film, but I have never forgotten that over the top interview. I remember thinking that I really did not need to read all this for a promotional interview.
When modern straight women use their relationships to promote their work, people don’t typically say or imply that their entire sexual orientation is faked for attention though. They don’t typically do this with gay men either. There’s an extra layer of silencing, punching down, and respectability politics (which Bella Thorne obviously doesn’t live up to, but also shouldn’t have to to just to be believed) reserved for women and girls who are bisexual and pansexual. Then there are the more conservative bigots who claim that they don’t want to read anything about anyone’s sexuality and that it’s all about privacy, when it’s really them not wanting people whose sex lives don’t line up with a certain set of values to have a voice at all. That’s why they deliberately click, read, and comment on lgbt articles just to attack people for opening up about that part of their lives, but often have no problems reading and circulating other sexual rumors about people they don’t know.
Where did I say that I thought her orientation was fake or pretense? To direct quote my original post: “You do you, Bella but I find you exhausting.” I find her random and scattered as she does her best to keep attention on her. Which she needs to do in her chosen profession, granted. I also have commented on this type of random declaration to self-promote several times, like Kevin Spacey coming out as gay when he was slapped with assault accusations. Or the promotion for “By The Sea” centering around “the beautiful romance between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, so relatable!, back on screen together for a dramatic tale of blah blah,” or every time a Kardashian has their weddings/birthday parties/funerals sponsored and gimmicked to death. It’s not about being cisgender or straight or not.
Also, this is a gossip site. Where people come to comment on rumors, etc of famous people we don’t know, especially when the celebs put it out there themselves. Our comments are not always flattering. If that’s not your cup of tea, why are you here?
You don’t have to be ‘flattering’, but shutting down conversations that younger bisexual and pansexual people, especially women, have about their experiences (even while they’re promoting something) with the just for attention/money card is dismissive and tone deaf at best. There is a nasty pattern on this site and in general of people treating bisexuality as fake, (among other things), so if you don’t want to be lumped in with that crowd, maybe rethink your responses to people mentioning their sexual orientations. Her commentary isn’t really comparable to the Kevin Spacey situation at all. Calling out a sexual predator for using his sexual orientation as a shield/= shaming someone for daring to even talk about being pansexual just because they’re also promoting a book. The reality is that people respond this way whether a book is being promoted or not.
Ahhh, the lookatmelookatmelookatme of youth.
A person can seek attention (aka do their jobs) and be something other than straight.
And while seeking attention in a public forum to further your career as a celebrity, you get talked about on a gossip site
You’re free to talk about anyone you’d like, and other marginalized people are free to comment on whatever they see in public comment sections. It’s something to get used to.
Bella is attracted to whatever gets people talking about her.
Being outraged and yet staying silent when one is offended by the use of a certain biased word, term, or belief, never helps anyone learn. If one is a part of a marginalized, historically disenfranchised group, it is indeed your responsibility to speak up to correct the insulting ignorance that other people may subject you to. (I’m not talking about the obvious, deeply ingrained, spiteful and aggressive racists/homophobes, who clearly don’t want their minds opened to the truth. Let them go on floundering and failing in their alliance of stupidity and hatred.) I mean the well intended people who DO want to learn the right terms and are eager to learn them, but have no way of learning them other than by asking actual members of an oppressed group their questions. Generally, people are FAR too uncomfortable to do this, and I think one reason for this hesitation is the dreaded, disdainful response of, YOUR people’s bias and prejudice causes me and mine too much pain as it is, so how dare you ask ME to explain/ correct your inaccuracy or confusion about such topics? I disagree completely with this attitude, for it simply deepens our human division and the static, prolonged, awful climate of mismanaged, misunderstood animosity and anger. It also amounts to downright ignoring (or even ostracizing) a sincerely interested, humble human being, who asks you specific questions because they genuinely have no desire whatsoever to remain offensive to or ignorant about you. If someone wants to learn to cross the gulf between them and yourselves, to become closer to being your friend and your more enlightened ally, why would any rational person turn them down?If we are ever to become a less divisive country, then we *all* need to support far more inclusive, collective, open minded, safe and respectful forms of communication.
I’m 42 and attracted to who I’m attracted to—man, woman, cis, trans, other. It matters not to me. But I am NOT going to run around calling myself pansexual. It just sounds ridiculous to me. Just my opinion. So I don’t call myself anything. The labeling is just too much. For me. Everyone else can do as they please and it’s great.
+1000. Perfectly said.
I agree! Stop allthe labels. You are genetically male or female, love and sleep with whomever you want.
I agree, just be who you are and date who you want. I don’t see the need for all these confusing labels that millennials use. “I’m attracted to another human being” There. Done.