What is the difference?
Queer vs LGBTQ+
Queer and LGBTQ+ both refer broadly to people outside heterosexual and cisgender norms, and queer is even the Q in the acronym. The difference is that queer is a single word people can use about themselves, while LGBTQ+ is a list-style acronym used mostly for communities and organisations.
Queer
An umbrella word for sexual orientations and gender identities outside heterosexual and cisgender norms, reclaimed from its earlier use as an insult.
Full entryLGBTQ+
An acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer or questioning people, with the plus standing for further identities.
Full entrySide by side
In short
LGBTQ+ is the collective acronym for a community; queer is a single, reclaimed word some people use for themselves. Use queer about someone only if they use it.
What they have in common
Both group together sexual orientations and gender identities that share history and have often campaigned together.
More comparisons
- Affirmative consentvsEnthusiastic consentAffirmative consent is about getting a clear yes; enthusiastic consent goes a step further and cares whether that yes is truly wanted.
- Anxious attachmentvsAvoidant attachmentAnxious attachment leans in and needs reassurance; avoidant attachment leans out and needs space. Both people usually care deeply; they simply protect themselves in opposite ways.
- AsexualvsAromanticAsexual answers "do I feel sexual attraction?"; aromantic answers "do I feel romantic attraction?". A person can be one, both or neither.
- Bacterial vaginosisvsThrushA fishy smell points more towards BV, itching more towards thrush, but symptoms overlap, so it is worth getting them checked by a pharmacist, doctor or sexual health clinic.
Last reviewed 16 October 2026. Spotted a mistake?