Pat's Answer

Welcome to Ask Pat, thank you for reaching out. 

It sounds like you are a little unsure about your sexual identity; you say you like girls and guys and also those who are non-binary. You are wondering if that makes you pan sexual. You mention you are not keen on that label and you are looking for help. 

Every young person in Ireland has a right to equality, regardless of their sexuality. You are asking if you are pansexual, and you have the right to be heard on this and to seek information around your questions. It is a good thing to hear that you are reaching out for support. You have a right to be accepted for who you are.

It is understandable it can  be difficult to sometimes find a label to fit in to and sometimes there is not always a label to fit one’s individual sexual preferences.  

Having conversations about your sexuality with your sexuality with your parents or family can be daunting. Perhaps you would prefer to talk to someone who does not know you personally first. Here are some links that may be helpful to you: www.BelongTo.ie; www.lgbt.ie are organisations for LGBTQI+ youth. You can find out how they work and what supports they can offer you on their websites. There are some articles on the Childline website too around sexuality www.childline.ie/sexuality/ which you may also like to read. 

Don’t forget, you can always contact Childline on 1800 66 66 66 to talk about what is going on for you. We are here 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Our free text service is at 50101 and you can contact our webchat service through www.childline.ie. While we do not tell you what to do here at Childline, we are here to listen and support you. We can help you to explore the options that are available to you in your life, to help you in a way that suits you best.  

Best wishes, we hope to hear from you soon,

Pat