What does it mean to be lesbian, gay, or bisexual? How many people in the United States are gay, lesbian, or bisexual? What steps do people take to express gender? What makes a person straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual or questioning? When does a person know their gender identity? What can I do if I want to talk with someone other than my parents?

NCBI Bookshelf. To understand the context of a person's life course, it is critical to understand the age cohort to which that individual belongs. Youth growing up today will see changes that earlier generations of lesbians and gay men would never have expected in their lifetimes, including politicians, business leaders, and educators who are openly gay; marriage between same-sex couples; and an evolving popular and artistic culture that provides many positive portrayals of lesbian and gay characters in movies and plays, on television, and in literature. Today's youth are able to use the Internet to retrieve online information about LGBT issues, providing social networking opportunities and access to knowledge in a way that was not available to older cohorts. At the same time, young LGBT people searching the Internet and interacting with their peers will be aware of the pervasive negative views of sexual and gender minorities.

Check out our interactive infographic to see progress toward the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Health objectives and other Healthy People topic areas. Improve the health, safety, and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender LGBT individuals. LGBT individuals encompass all races and ethnicities, religions, and social classes. Sexual orientation and gender identity questions are not asked on most national or State surveys, making it difficult to estimate the number of LGBT individuals and their health needs.