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LGBTQ+ support for young people

Growing up, some people will become attracted to other people. Sometimes they are attracted to people of the same sex. Sometimes they are attracted to people of the opposite sex. Some people may be attracted to a mix of or all sexes or genders, and some people may experience no attraction at all.

There are also some young people who are confused about their sexual identity. You could be asexual. You're not interested in sex at all. Or, you could be transgender. You identify as the opposite gender.

  • Gender is a person's identity, understanding, and experience. It includes their view of their role in society. It’s their inner sense about who they truly are and how they want to interact with the world.
  • Sex is a person’s biological sex at birth, to do with which reproductive organs they have.

LGBTQ+ meaning

LGBTQ+ is an acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer or questioning. These terms are used to describe a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity:

  • Lesbian - women who like women.
  • Gay - men who like men.
  • Bisexual - people who like men and women.
  • Transgender - people whose gender identity differs from the sex they were assigned at birth.
  • Cisgender - those whose gender identity matches that assigned at birth.
  • Queer - a term covering all other sexualities and gender identities.

The plus sign (+) is connected to a range of additional sexualities and gender identities that includes:

  • Asexual – people who have no sexual attraction or romantic attraction to another person.
  • Agender – people who identify as having no gender or being without any gender identity.
  • Gender dysphoria - the feeling of confusion or frustration a person experiences when they feel conflict between their gender and the sex they were assigned at birth
  • Gender fluid - when a person moves between gender identities without ascribing to a specific one
  • Genderqueer - when a person’s gender identity does not meet the typical gender variations.
  • Pansexual - is when there is a sexual, romantic, or emotional attraction towards people regardless of their sex or gender identity.
  • Nonbinary - when a person does not ascribe to the traditional gender binary of male or female.

Find support

To find LGBTQ+ support you can visit:

Did you know that there are many famous LGBTQ+ disabled people to aspire to? Find out more about these influential people by visiting:

Be an ally

An ally is someone who supports and proactively tries to make the world a better place. This includes supporting equal civil rights, gender equality and LGBTQ+ social movements and challenges homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia.

For parents and friends of young LGBTQ+ people, you can find support by visiting: