LGBTQ is an acronym for the terms lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans/transgender/transsexual, and queer, a term with historical roots in the political and social activism of the industrialized world over the last century. LGBTQ is intended to encompass a broad range of individuals who are conceptualized as part of a sexual and gendered minority for whom various rights and protections are sought.

Some variation of the term LGBTQ is used by grassroots local, national, and global political and social organizations to indicate the individuals and groups forming their constituency. Depending on the context, groups might order the letters in distinctive formulations, for example, using LGB to identify a constituency that includes lesbian, gay, and bisexual but that may not directly be concerned with trans-gender, ...