Rainbow flag (LGBTQ) in the context of "Rainbow flag"

LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer. Many variants of the initialism are used, such as those incorporating questioning, intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The group is generally conceived as broadly encompassing all individuals who are part of a sexual or gender minority.

Gay is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant "carefree", "cheerful', or "bright and showy".

While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 19th century, that meaning became increasingly common by the mid-20th century. In modern English, gay has come to be used as an adjective, and as a noun, referring to the community, practices and cultures associated with homosexuality. In the 1960s, gay became the word favored by homosexual men to describe their sexual orientation. By the end of the 20th century and beginning of the 21st century, the word gay was recommended by major LGBTQ groups and style guides to describe people attracted to members of the same sex, although it is more commonly used to refer specifically to men.

Sexual and gender minorities (SGM) comprise individuals whose sexual identity, sexual orientation, sexual behavior, or gender identity differ from the majority of the surrounding society. Sexual minorities include lesbians, gay men, bisexual people, asexual people, and other non-heterosexual people, Gender minorities include transgender people, non-binary (including third gender), and intersex individuals. Gender, sexual and romantic minorities (GSRM) includes individuals of a minority romantic orientation such as aromanticism.

Sexual and gender minorities includes LGBTQ people as well as those who do not identify as LGBTQ. In 2015, the United States National Institutes of Health described SGM as an "umbrella term that encompasses populations included in the acronym "LGBTI" (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex), and those whose sexual orientation or gender identity varies. It includes those who may not self-identify as LGBTI (e.g., queer, questioning, two-spirit, asexual, men who have sex with men, women who have sex with women, gender variant), or those who have a specific medical condition affecting reproductive development (e.g., individuals with differences or disorders of sex development, who sometimes identify as intersex)."

In the context of LGBTQ culture, LGBTQ pride (also known as queer pride, gay pride, or simply pride) is the promotion of the rights, self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people as a social group. Pride, as opposed to shame and social stigma, is the predominant outlook that bolsters most LGBTQ rights movements. Pride has lent its name to LGBTQ-themed organizations, institutes, foundations, book titles, periodicals, a cable TV channel, and the Pride Library.

Ranging from solemn to carnivalesque, pride events are typically held during LGBTQ Pride Month or some other period that commemorates a turning point in a country's LGBTQ history; one example is Moscow Pride, which is held every May for the anniversary of Russia's 1993 decriminalization of homosexuality. Some pride events include Pride parades and marches, rallies, commemorations, community days, dance parties, and festivals.

A pride flag is any flag that represents a segment or part of the LGBTQ community. Pride in this case refers to the notion of LGBTQ pride. The terms LGBTQ flag and queer flag are often used interchangeably.

The rainbow flag, which represents the entire LGBTQ community, is the most widely used pride flag. As well as the LGBTQ community as a whole, pride flags can represent various sexual orientations, romantic orientations, gender identities, subcultures, and regional purposes. Some pride flags, however, are not exclusively related to LGBTQ matters, such as the flag for leather subculture.