Nevada Assemblywoman Sarah Peters Comes Out as Pansexual

Nevada State Assemblywoman Sarah Peters used the floor of the Nevada State House to announce she was pansexual last week. Peters, a Democrat who has represented Reno and the state's District 24 since 2018, used her March 25th speech in support of a state Equal Rights Amendment to reveal she is a pansexual woman. Peters had come out as bisexual to her family years before, but this was the first time she had spoken publicly about her pansexuality.

"Today, as a pansexual, cisgender woman, I stand out for equity and remind us to be inclusive in our LGBT+ community as we work to make Nevada a more equitable place," Peters bravely announced last Thursday.

"Coming out is a personal journey for everyone," Andre Ware, state director of the Nevada LGBTQ+ advocacy group, Silver State Equality, said in a statement. "We are so happy for Assemblywoman Peters as she takes this courageous step and shares her identity with her colleagues and the world. In doing so, she's sending a message to LGBTQ+ people everywhere -- especially LGBTQ+ young people -- that pansexual people belong everywhere, including in the Nevada Legislature."

Peters noted that Nevada as a whole has made "unprecedented progress in being a more equitable home for our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community," and she added that the USA Today had recently recognized Nevada as "the best state in America for people who are LGBTQ+."

The assemblywoman from Reno later took to Twitter where she shared her personal story of the "guilt and questioning" she experienced "being bisexual and pansexual." Peters speculated if she was still "queer" and "gay" enough as pansexual. She answered these rhetorical questions in the next sentence, reminding others that "we are all enough and worth celebrating!"

The reaction to the revelation was swift and positive.

"You are enough," encouraged Robyn Ochs, the educator/activist who is also the editor of Bi Woman Quarterly. "We all are. And our identity should [be] defined not by our behavior at any particular moment in time, but rather by what we know about ourselves."

Another commenter assured Peters she didn't have to be anything but herself to be enough.

Peters came out during a speech in support her state's attempt to ensure that women receive fair and equitable treatment in comparison to their male counterparts. This would include equal pay for equal work, and advocates say the bill will eliminate many of the barriers and glass ceilings that prevent female employees from obtaining the same opportunities for advancement as men.

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