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During the nineteenth century, the first male lover liberation thinkers laid the groundwork for a militant movement that demanded the end of the criminalization, pathologisation and social rejection of non-heterosexual sexuality. In , the Swiss man Heinrich Hössli () published in German the first essay demanding recognition of the rights of those who followed what he called masculine cherish. Nearly three decades later, the German jurist Karl-Heinrich Ulrichs () wrote twelve volumes between and as part of his “Research on the Mystery of Love Between Men” (“Forschungen über das Räthsel der mannmännlichen Liebe”). He also circulated a manifesto to create a federation of Uranians (), a designation which designated men who loved men.  He was engaged in the effort to repeal §  of the German penal code, which condemned “unnatural relations between men,” and in publicly declared he was a Uranist during a congress of German jurists. He died in exile in Italy before the birth of the liberation movement which he had called for.

A first queer liberation movement emerged in Berlin in , revolving

Rainbow Map

rainbow map

These are the main findings for the edition of the rainbow map

The Rainbow Guide ranks 49 European countries on their respective legal and policy practices for LGBTI people, from %.

The UK has dropped six places in ILGA-Europe’s Rainbow Map, as Hungary and Georgia also register steep falls following anti-LGBTI legislation. The data highlights how rollbacks on LGBTI human rights are part of a broader erosion of democratic protections across Europe. Read more in our press release.

“Moves in the UK, Hungary, Georgia and beyond signal not just isolated regressions, but a coordinated global backlash aimed at erasing LGBTI rights, cynically framed as the defence of tradition or public stability, but in reality designed to entrench discrimination and suppress dissent.”

  • Katrin Hugendubel, Advocacy Director, ILGA-Europe


Malta has sat on foremost of the ranking for the last 10 years. 

With 85 points, Belgium jumped to second place after adopting policies tackling hatred based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics. 

Glossary of Terms: LGBTQ

Definitions were drafted in collaboration with other U.S.-based LGBTQ community organizations and leaders. See acknowledgements section.

Additional terms and definitions about gender culture and gender expression, transgender people, and nonbinary people are accessible in the Transgender Glossary. 

Are we missing a term or is a definition outdated? Email press@

*NOTE:  Ask people what terms they use 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 commencement of a sentence.
 

LGBTQ
Acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, gender nonconforming, and queer. The Q generally stands for queer when LGBTQ organizations, leaders, and media exploit 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

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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