In 2024, 9.3% of US adults identified as LGBTQ+, according to Gallup, nearly double the share in 2020. Among Generation Z adults, the figure was 23.1%. More than half of LGBTQ+ adults identified as bisexual.
The acronym has grown over time. Earlier versions such as "gay" or "LGB" left out transgender, intersex and asexual people, who pushed to be named. Many organizations use shorter forms like LGBTQ or LGBTQ+; they generally mean the same community.
LGBTQIA+ people of color face both racism and anti-LGBTQ bias, including higher rates of poverty, homelessness and police contact. The modern movement has Black and Latina roots, from the 1969 Stonewall uprising to the ballroom culture of New York. Anti-racist work recognizes that racial justice and LGBTQ liberation share opponents and goals.