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The headlines are filled with news of star’s Sexual orientations. Today Brendon Urie, more popularly known as the lead singer of Panic at the Disco, came out as pansexual during his interview with Rolling Stone. The issue of people’s sexuality has always become top news but what does all this mean? Pansexuality is defined by Merriam-Webster as relating to or characterized by sexual desire or attraction that is not limited to people of a particular gender identity or sexual orientation. Some people find no distinction between bisexuality and pansexuality, but it depends on the person and their dedication to gender binaries and simply a personal choice as to how someone chooses to identify. Brendon Urie stated, “It’s just people that I am attracted to,” which honestly makes perfect sense. There are attractive and the fact that someone finds them attractive regardless of gender is also logical. What ultimately makes a person attractive is their character and charm. Mr. Urie is happily married to his wife, but this heterosexual union does not negate the fact that he is attracted to people, not just one sex. Many bisexual and pansexual people choose spouses of the opposite gender, but this does not suddenly make either group straight. The fact that Brendon Urie felt comfortable enough to make his sexuality public is a testament to the growing tolerance towards different orientations in American culture.
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People should feel free to disclose their sexual preferences upon their own discretion, but it seems that society is obsessed with how a person defines themselves. It’s perfectly fine if someone feels comfortable enough sharing their sexual identity but my concern is when the public, strangers, are obsessed with the Sexual Orientations of others. A stranger’s sexual orientation is not something that a stranger has to know. It seems invasive to obsess over something so private when the average person will not benefit from this knowledge. On the other hand, those who are coming to terms with how they identify, finding other people who are in a similar situation can always be helpful for the community and mental wellness. When people learn that they aren’t the only ones in certain situations, sharing an identifier can be a lifesaver. Someone’s sexual orientation shouldn’t be something that really changes how a person is viewed. People should have the freedom to keep their sexual orientations as private or public as they choose. The public should not hassle stars or individuals concerning their sexual orientation, but it should be diverged at an individual’s own discretion. Hopefully, the more public differing sexual orientations become, the more it is normalized, and the fewer people are harassed for orientations that are deemed “different”.
