if you’re ever wondering about the state of pansexual rep in tv, just know that these are the only pansexual characters on tv that i can find where the word pansexual is used on screen:
david rose, schitt's creek
nola darling, she's gotta have it
izzy silva, you me her
aitor cardoné, club de cuervos
roger, american dad
julie mao, the expanse
sadie swenson, scream queens
edward, will & grace
tam, younger
note: edward and tam are only in one episode each, and in both cases, pansexuality is mocked/invalidated. pansexuality is also mocked/invalidated in scream queens, in the one scene where sadie is explicitly said to be pansexual.
not counting the two characters who only appear in one episode each, only seven out of around thirty tv shows with canonically pansexual characters use the word pansexual on screen.
seven.
we desperately need pansexual representation on tv where the word is used on screen. off screen confirmation is valid, but hearing the word on screen is so important and life changing.
having pansexual characters identify on screen as pansexual would:
help spread awareness of pansexuality
keep pansexuality out of the dark
lessen the erasure of pansexual characters
allow pansexual people to truly see themselves
provide comfort and validation to pansexual people
introduce pansexual people to their identity label
let people know there’s a word for their feelings and others who feel the same
lower the amount of pansexual people who learn about pansexuality later in life
all of that, especially when it comes to young people, greatly outweighs these writers and actors wanting to pat themselves on the back for being ~so enlightened and progressive~ for having pansexual characters who don’t discuss, express, or even mention the existence of their pansexuality, because it’s “just a part of who they are” that “doesn’t need to be addressed” or “made a big deal of” or whatever.
and i really wish they understood that, because more often than not, we only get the pansexual rep that is never addressed or explicitly labeled on screen in an attempt to be progressively nonchalant. and it’s not groundbreaking to stick to the status quo.
we deserve pansexual characters on tv who not only use the word on screen, but also have major storylines regarding their pansexuality, big coming out scenes, thoughtful journeys to discovering their pansexuality, etc.
we haven’t entered a new age of queer rep where coming out/discovery stories are a thing of the past, because there are so many people who have still not seen themselves in those stories. and not just in regard to the specific queerness, but also other marginalizations, too.
all in all,
LET PANSEXUAL CHARACTERS SAY THE WORD ON SCREEN
LET THEIR PANSEXUALITY BE AN IMPORTANT, PRESENT PART OF THEM
