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List of LGBTQ+ terms
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Abro (sexual and romantic)
A word used to depict people who have a fluid sexual and/or love-related orientation which changes over time, or the course of their life. They may use different terms to describe themselves over time.
Ace
An umbrella term used specifically to describe a lack of, varying, or occasional experiences of sexual attraction. This encompasses asexual people as well as those who identify as demisexual and grey-sexual. Ace people who experience idealistic attraction or occasional sexual attraction might also operate terms such as lgbtq+, bi, lesbian, straight and queer in conjunction with asexual to describe the direction of their intimate or sexual attraction.
Ace and aro/ace and aro spectrum
Umbrella terms used to explain the wide group of people who experience a lack of, varying, or occasional experiences of passionate and/or sexual attraction, including a lack of attraction. People who identify under these umbrella terms may describe themselves using one or more of a wide variety of terms, including, but not limited to, asexual, ace,
Glossary of Terms: LGBTQ
Definitions were drafted in collaboration with other U.S.-based LGBTQ people organizations and leaders. See acknowledgements section.
Additional terms and definitions about gender identity and gender expression, transgender people, and nonbinary people are available in the Transgender Glossary.
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*NOTE: Seek people what terms they use to describe their sexual orientation, gender individuality and gender phrase 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, same-sex attracted, bisexual, transgender, and queer. The Q generally stands for queer when LGBTQ organizations, leaders, and media use the acronym. In settings offering support 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
International Travel
Travelers can face unique challenges abroad based on their actual or perceived sexual orientation. Laws and attitudes in some countries may affect safety and ease of travel.
More than 60 countries consider consensual same-sex relations a crime. In some of these countries, people who engage in consensual same-sex relations may confront severe punishment. Many countries do not recognize same-sex marriage.
Research your destination before you travel
Review the travel advisory and destination information page of the place you plan to visit. Check the Local Laws & Customs section. This has information specific to travelers who may be targeted by discrimination or violence on the basis of sexual orientation.
Many countries only recognize male and female sex markers in passports. They do not have IT systems at ports of entry that can accept other sex markers, including valid U.S. passports with an X sex marker. If traveling with a valid U.S. passport with an X sex marker, check the immigration regulations for your destination as acceptance can v
Adult LGBT Population in the United States
This report provides estimates of the number and percent of the U.S. adult population that identifies as LGBT, overall, as well as by age. Estimates of LGBT adults at the national, state, and regional levels are included. We rely on BRFSS data for these estimates. Pooling multiple years of data provides more stable estimates—particularly at the state level.
Combining BRFSS data, we estimate that % of U.S. adults identify as LGBT. Further, we estimate that there are almost million (13,,) LGBT adults in the U.S.
Regions and States
LGBT people reside in all regions of the U.S. (Table 2 and Figure 2). Consistent with the overall population in the Merged States,more LGBT adults exist in the South than in any other region. More than half (%) of LGBT people in the U.S. live in the Midwest (%) and South (%), including million in the Midwest and million in the South. About one-quarter (%) of LGBT adults reside in the West, approximately million people. Less than one in five (%) LGBT adults live in the Northeast ( million).
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