Updated on March 14, 2023
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.).
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.
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)
