Challenging the Binary: Sexual Identity That Is Not Duality

Western society operates in a traditionally binary thought system. Although bisexuality has broken some of these dichotomies, other sexual identities, specifically pansexuality and its predecessor pomosexuality, continue to break down dichotomies of gender, sexual identity, and sexual orientation. Using the work of writers such as C. Jacob Hale, Tristan Taormino, and Marco Vassi, this article explores the sexual identities beyond homosexuality, heterosexuality, and bisexuality. Additionally, this article explores transsexual identities and their role in defining pansexual/pomosexual identities. Shifting definitions of hetero/homosexual are also examined as evidence of and support for emerging pansexual and pomosexual identities. Furthermore, this article notes the lag between theory on emerging sexual identities and community discourses surrounding those identities. Overall, this article discusses the ways that pansexuality and pomosexuality challenge several standard dichotomies in western society, while suggesting ways that further research could continue to deconstruct the multiple vectors of oppression caused by strict dichotomies.