My friend came out as pan a few years before then, it was the first time I had hesrd of it (and regrettably I made this very joke) but it's not a new term.
Don't regret it, everyone made this joke the first time they heard about pansexuals, it's just the natural reaction.
What's embarrassing is someone making that joke now. How is anyone just now hearing about it? At least make a joke about how they fuck flutes or forest gods or something else ffs, pans are played out, people like me and you already got to it in '09ish!
Maybe it’s just me, but this joke came back in a big way with COViD. It seemed like so many people took that disruption to reset things in their lives, and many of us got into pans in a big way.
A combination of more time at home, looking for new home based activities, growing awareness of PFAS/PFOA environmental issues, more attention to health, and “buy it for life” to reduce consumer waste …. I was one of many who switched from non-stick to cast iron, stainless, and/or carbon steel. So many talks about pans.
Just talking to one of my brothers…
I’m an east coast liberal computer geek, I love all sorts of geeky things. I can talk at length about Linux and my home lab has so many different operating systems. I drive an EV and am gradually converting from natural gas to electric as my appliances need replacing. My politics are deep blue and I’ll talk at length there too
my brother is Midwest conservative, ex-jock. He never met a sport he couldn’t excel at. Believes DEI is ruining corporations and electric vehicles can never work
Over COViD, we’re suddenly on the phone for hours talking pans. It was just the right time for that to be a huge interest for people with a range of beliefs