Last updated on September 1st, 2024
Several years ago, I wrote about sources of free LGBTQ oriented stock photos. Since then, a few things have changed, so I thought the post was due for an update.
All of the sources listed below are free. Most of them are available under a Creative Commons license. I’ll note that these links may not be all of the LGBTQ-friendly photos available on each source; many may be tagged “LGBT” (without the “Q”) or under a more specific category (gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual, queer/questioning, etc.).
Update (6/1/23): If you’re looking to avoid AI generated images (a good idea), see my tips for doing so in this post. Or, if the site allows, try setting search parameters for images created before 2022.
Creative Commons
https://search.creativecommons.org/search?q=LGBTQ
Creative Commons offers the ability to search for LGBTQ tagged photos from multiple sources. You can also search for photos by CC license type; the most liberal licenses are CC0 (public domain), public domain mark (basically also public domain), and BY (can be used for any commercial or non-commercial purpose, but crediting the creator’s required).
Disabled and Here
https://affecttheverb.com/collection/
Disabled and Here is a site offering a selection of Creative Commons-licensed photos and artwork of disabled BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) people, including a section dedicated to LGBTQ individuals.
Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/search/?q=LGBTQ&l=4 (CC BY license)
https://www.flickr.com/search/?q=LGBTQ&l=9 (CC0 public domain license)
Flickr features a variety of Creative Commons licensed, LGBTQ tagged photos; many of them seem to be from various Pride celebrations around the world.
Pexels
https://www.pexels.com/search/lgbtq/
Pexels is another source of free LGBTQ stock photos. From my perusal, Pexels offers a number of photos featuring LGBTQ people of color and interracial couples.
Pixabay
https://pixabay.com/en/photos/lgbt/ (“LGBT” tagged)
https://pixabay.com/images/search/lgbtq/ (“LGBTQ” tagged)
Pixabay offers some LGBTQ-friendly graphics (flags, etc.). While Pixabay also offers some photos, they aren’t as strong as their graphics selection.
Note: I’d suggest clicking the “Hide AI generated” toggle under the settings cog. There’s also the option to only display images more than a year old.
Unsplash
https://unsplash.com/s/photos/lgbt (“LGBT” tagged)
https://unsplash.com/s/photos/lgbtq (“LGBTQ” tagged)
Unsplash, like Pixabay and Pexels, offers a number of free-to-use images under its own license. I’ve used some Unsplash images on the blog; my old CMS, Ghost, had Unsplash support built-in.
“Rainbow Flag” by nathanmac87 is licensed under CC BY 2.0 (Flickr / cropped from original)
