pansexual characters that have stayed with me, are favorites, or i think about often 💗💛💙🌈
i don’t know if any other character will be able to come close to the impact of my beloved david rose (schitt’s creek). it was the first time i heard the word pansexual used on screen and the wine analogy is iconic at this point. harry (the thing about harry) is also a big one because name another on-screen pan lead of a new adult m/m romcom. i’ll wait.
while pansexual isn’t used on page in the “ode to pansexuality” all of the above (juno dawson), it represents a conceptualization of pansexuality as an anti-identity/label or an attitude of not wanting or needing the strict, neat boxes that society forces on and expects of us. it speaks to the time when before learning of pansexuality, i had that mindset, and kinda still do. (and that cover?!)
miss meteor (tehlor kay mejia and anna-marie mclemore) has probably the only instance of love being expressed for the word pansexual. so often pan rep is a shoulder shrug situation, where the character doesn’t feel strongly about the word. but this mc says she loved pansexual the moment she heard it. and that’s really important to me, as is her journey of accepting her pansexuality and coming out.
loveless (alice oseman) has a side pansexual discovery storyline, which i always love. the mc’s sexuality arc in our way (t.l. swan) is the only thing i like about the book. a man who was only attracted to men for 30+ years finds himself attracted to women, and through a journey of analyzing his attraction/feelings and dealing with the assumptions/pressures of other people, he realizes and accepts his pansexuality.
honorable mentions: while amy raudenfeld (faking it) and the mc of black iris (elliot wake) aren’t canon pan, they’re mspec characters i read as pan and relate to the portrayal of their sexualities. amy is the first tv character i saw express that sort of label reluctancy and not viewing attraction based in gender. black iris (elliot wake) is one of the first queer books i actively sought out and the mc’s sexuality has that “fuck gender, fuck labels” vibe.
feel free to share what pan or queer characters have spoken to you or stayed with you!