Common acronyms expanding on LGBTQ+, their meaning and some common uses*
| Acronym | Meaning | Common uses |
| LGB | Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual | Frequently used in the late 1980s and the 1990s. Now only used when a statement regarding only Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual people is made. |
| LGBT+ | Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender + | Commonly used in the 2000s. Still used today by organisations that want to avoid long acronyms. |
| LGBTQ+ | Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and/or Questioning + | Commonly used in the 2000s. Still used today by some organisations, activist groups and the general population. |
| LGBTI+ | Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex + | Internationally recognised acronym. Recently used by, for example, Australian and UK Governments. |
| LGBTQI+ | Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and/or Questioning, Intersex + | Acronym regularly used by the United States Government. |
| LGBTQ2+ | Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and/or Questioning, Two-Spirit + | Official acronym used by the Government of Canada |
| LGBTQIA2+ | Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and/or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual and/or Aromantic and/or Agender, Two-Spirit + | Regularly used by community organisations and activist groups as a more inclusive acronym. |
| 2SLGBTQ+ | Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and/or Questioning + | Used by some organisations to acknowledge that Two-Spirit people were the first sexually and gender diverse people of Turtle Island |
| LGBTQQIP2SAA+ | Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, Queer, Intersex, Pansexual, Two-Spirit, Androgynous, Asexual + | Aims to be more inclusive, but rarely used due to length, complexity and reduced recognisability |
*In all cases, using + at the end of the acronym aims to acknowledge that many sexually- and gender-diverse people do not identify with the terms included in the acronym. While this table gives an overview of common acronyms, combinations of these acronyms and other acronyms are also used. Within current acronyms, usage is often dependent on personal and group preferences as well as geography and audience.