Transgender Persons
Transgender is an umbrella term for persons whose gender identity or expression (masculine, feminine, other) is different from their sex (male, female) at birth. Gender identity refers to one’s internal understanding of one’s own gender, or the gender with which a person identifies. Gender expression is a term used to describe people’s outward presentation of their gender.
Gender identity and sexual orientation are different facets of identity. Everyone has a gender identity and a sexual orientation, but a person’s gender does not determine a person’s sexual orientation. Transgender people may identify as heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, or none of the above.

CDC Fact Sheets and Briefs
Resources for Transgender Persons
Resources for Health Care Providers and Public Health Professionals about Transgender Health
- Toolkit for Providing HIV Prevention Services to Transgender Women of Color
- LGBT Health Equityexternal icon (HRSA)
- Eight Best Practices for HIV Prevention among Trans People pdf icon[PDF – 129 KB]external icon (University of California, San Francisco)
- Guidelines for Care of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Patients pdf icon[PDF – 1.4 MB]external icon (GLMA)
- National LGBT Health Education Center: Learning Modulesexternal icon (Fenway Health)
- Meeting the Health Care Needs of Transgender People pdf icon[PDF – 1.3 MB]external icon (Fenway Health)
- Transgender Health Resourcesexternal icon (American Medical Student Association)
- Advancing LGBT Health and Well-being pdf icon[PDF – 687 KB]external icon (HHS)
- Sexual Health and Your Patients: A Provider’s Guideexternal icon (National Coalition for Sexual Health)
Additional Resources
- LGBTQIA+ Glossary of Terms for Health Care Teamsexternal icon (Fenway Health)
- Know Your Rights: Health Careexternal icon (National Center for Transgender Equality)
U.S. Government Resources
- Healthy People 2030: LGBTexternal icon (health.gov)
- Healthy People 2020: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Healthexternal icon (HealthyPeople.gov)
- Plan for Health Data Collection on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Populationsexternal icon (HHS Office of Minority Health)
- Transgender Health Care Coverageexternal icon (HealthCare.Gov)
- Top Health Issues for LGBT Populations Information & Resource Kitexternal icon (SAMHSA)
- LGBT Behavioral Health Equityexternal icon (SAMHSA)
- Bullying and LGBT Youthexternal icon (StopBulling.gov)
General CDC and Partner Resources
- Cancer Prevention and Control
- Heart Disease
- Smoking & Tobacco Use
- Smoking Out a Deadly Threat: Tobacco Use in the LGBT Communityexternal icon (American Lung Association)
- Overweight and Obesity
- HIV Prevention
- STD Prevention
- Viral Hepatitis Information
- Intimate Partner Violence Prevention
- Sexual Violence Prevention
- Suicide Prevention
Page last reviewed: September 29, 2020