Show more news...       This list is updated regularly. See the legal status changes, timeline and more key events at Wikipedia.

Upcoming international events

This list is updated regularly. See more at Awareness Days and Wikipedia.

• LGBT+ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans (transgender, transexual), but typically also refers to other types of sexualities (hence the +) such as pansexual, asexual, queer, questioning, unlabelled, two-spirit, genderqueer, and others. Some places use terms like LGBT+, LGBTQ, QUILTBAG, or even LGBTQQIAAP2S. LGBT is currently the most recognised term.
• Demographics vary significantly, ranging from 1% to 20%, however, there's no guarantee that all respondents have been truthful, in order to hide their sexuality. More modern surveys show an increase to about 8% in most places. In the UK, ONS reports 2% are LGB and 4.7% unknown, but other surveys say 13%. Some cities such as San Francisco or Brighton have higher populations of LGBT people, each about 15%.
• Sexual orientation is not a choice. However, it can change through time and is dependent on various genetic, hormonal, and environmental influences. There is no single gay gene.
• Gender and sex are different things and don't always align. Sex refers to the genotype of a person, such as male (XY), female (XX) or intersex (a mix of sexes). Sex determination is a spectrum. Gender is a perceived identity (composing various characteristics), such as boy/man/masculine, girl/woman/feminine, or non-binary. There is a lot of terminology.
• Over 450 (recent reports suggest over 1,500) other species demonstrate homosexual behaviours such as bonobos, penguins, and dolphins. Some other species can change their sex at will, such as Asian sheepshead wrasse and clownfish.
• Romantic orientation is a separate aspect apart from sexual attraction and gender - it doesn't have to align.
• There are some stereotypes in the LGBT community: Camp is a style and set of mannerisms and behaviours. Drag and transvestism involve cross-dressing as another gender. There are many other stereotypes, and as with all stereotypes, some of them are negative.
• There are specific laws in some countries that protect LGBT+ people. The UK has the Equality Act 2010, Human Rights Act 1998, and the Gender Recognition Act 2004 which overrule an old law banning promotion of homosexuality called Section 28.
• There are different flags to represent different sexualities, genders, and communities within the LGBT community as a whole. The following is an incomplete list, but is here to encourage representation of subcultures and communities by focusing on the most recognised ones.

   Issues faced by LGBT+ people

   Learn more

   How to help ❤

   FAQs