Gay lesbian community
Glossary of Terms: LGBTQ
Definitions were drafted in collaboration with other U.S.-based LGBTQ community organizations and leaders. Watch acknowledgements section.
Additional terms and definitions about gender identity and gender expression, transgender people, and nonbinary people are available in the Transgender Glossary.
Are we missing a term or is a definition outdated? Email press@
*NOTE: Ask people what terms they exploit to describe their sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression before assigning them a label. Outside of acronyms, these terms should only be capitalized when used at the beginning of a sentence.
LGBTQ
Acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer. The Q generally stands for queer when LGBTQ organizations, leaders, and media use the acronym. In settings offering help for youth, it can also stand for questioning. LGBT and LGBTQ+ are also used, with the + added in recognition of all non-straight, non-cisgender identities. (See Transgender Glossary ) Both are acceptable, as are other versions of thi
The UN Human Rights Council once again reminds all States of their obligations to respect, preserve , and fulfil the rights of LGBT and gender diverse people
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This May 17, the world came together to celebrate the authority of communities: relive those moments with this video report!
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She now joins the likes of joining global leaders like United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous, and UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima s decision-makers pledging to verb gender equality a functional reality in their spheres of influence
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of more than 2, member organisations from countries campaigning for the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and intersex people. Since
Since , we have been committed to equal human rights for rainbow communities and their liberation from all forms of discrimination.
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We support LGBTI civil society worldwide through advocacy and research projects, and give grassroots movements a voice within international organisations.
LGBTQ Rights
The ACLU has a long history of defending the LGBTQ community. We brought our first LGBTQ rights case in Founded in , the Jon L. Stryker and Slobodan Randjelović LGBTQ & HIV Project brings more LGBTQ rights cases and advocacy initiatives than any other national organization does and has been counsel in seven of the nine LGBTQ rights cases that the U.S. Supreme Court has decided. With our reach into the courts and legislatures of every state, there is no other organization that can match our record of making progress both in the courts of law and in the court of public opinion.
The ACLU’s current priorities are to end discrimination, harassment and violence toward transgender people, to close gaps in our federal and declare civil rights laws, to prevent protections against discrimination from being undermined by a license to discriminate, and to protect LGBTQ people in and from the criminal legal system.
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fill out our confidential online form
For non-LGBTQ issues, please contact your local ACLU affiliate.
The ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Pro
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