Mary Gonzalez Came Out As Pansexual

Details: Published on Wednesday, 15 August 2012 21:59; Written by E-Li

Mary Gonzalez

A few months ago, I wrote Mary Gonzales became the "first openly lesbian representative of Texas" but I have to correct, Gonzalez says she doesn't identified as lesbian but pansexual.

Pansexual means that she does not believe in a gender binary and can be attracted to all gender identities.

Gonzalez told Dallas Voice that she doesn’t believe in a gender binary because "gender identity isn’t the defining part of my attraction."

She added that after coming out as bisexual at 21, she started dating "gender-queer" and transgender people, and later identified as pan.

"As I started to recognize the gender spectrum and dated along the gender spectrum, I was searching for words that connected to that reality, for words that embraced the spectrum," she said. "At the time I didn’t feel as if the term bisexual was encompassing of a gender spectrum that I was dating and attracted to."

During her campaign, she decided to not employed the term "pansexual" in order to not "overwhelm everyone."