"It's Not Pans, It's People": Student and Teacher Perspectives on Bisexuality and Pansexuality

• In Event: 25.068 - Roundtable Session 8
  In Roundtable Session: 25.068-17 - Intersectional Identity Development in School and Community Contexts

Abstract

This paper explores how Canadian youth who participate in GSAs and teachers who advise them perceive and/or experience bi/pansexuality. Participants’ perspectives on, definitions of, and alignment with bi/pansexuality are examined as they unpack mis/understandings associated with non-monosexual identities. For GSA members, bisexual and pansexual identity labels were not interchangeable terms. Both non-monosexualities were marked by invisibility and prejudice in school. Findings emphasize how students’ knowledge of sexual diversity and fluidity was more nuanced than their GSA advisors due to personal online research. GSA participation enabled bi/pansexual knowledge exchange and promoted understandings of bi/pansexualities. Although GSA involvement facilitated opportunities to discuss bi/pansexualities, this paper also highlights how an effort should be made to integrate bi/pansexual content in these clubs.

Author

• Alicia Anne Lapointe, The University of Western Ontario