Especially for LGBTQ+ Students

Meet our Community Liaison
for LGBTQ+ students

Get to know Kimberly VanNorman, LMSW, CAPS counselor and Community Liaison for LGBTQ+ students.

Updating your name & pronouns with Cornell Health

To update your Cornell Health information to reflect your chosen name, gender, and pronouns ...

  1. Log in to myCornellHealth.
  2. Click on "Profile."
  3. Click on the relevant "Edit" buttons to update your information.

Refer to the FAQs on our Gender-Affirming Care page for additional details.

A warm welcome to our students in the LGBTQ+ community! 

Our staff members deliver affirmative and supportive services for our patients and clients of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and expressions. We encourage you to be open with your health care providers about your needs and concerns so we can provide you with the best care possible.

Medical care & pharmacy services

Cornell Health provides ... 

  • Primary care medical services, with each student assigned to their own Primary Care Provider throughout their time at Cornell. 
  • Inclusive sexual health care including safer sex resources, PrEP, PEP, STI/HIV screening and treatment, and contraception. 
  • Gender-affirming care including hormone therapy, official letters for gender marker changes and name changes, surgical referrals, and pre- and post-operative care.
  • Pharmacy services including prescription and non-prescription medication, sexual health and self-care supplies, and free chest binders and tucking underwear.

Counseling & support

Many students find themselves questioning, expanding, refining, or claiming their sexual orientation and relationship preferences during their college years. If you are struggling with any aspect of your identity – including gender and sexual orientation, relationships, coming out, etc. – we hope you will seek support.

  • Students may find it helpful to talk with a counselor to explore and navigate these parts of their lives. When making a counseling appointment, you can request a counselor with expertise in sexuality and/or LGBTQ+ issues.
  • You may also consult informally with a CAPS provider through Let’s Talk without needing to make an appointment.
  • Group counseling is one of the most effective tools for addressing issues common among college students. CAPS typically offers counseling groups specifically for students in the LGBTQ+ community. 

Support for victims of bias-related incidents: At Cornell, there are policies that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and other factors. If you are the victim of a bias incident, help is available. Please refer to our Assault & Harassment page for support resources – at Cornell Health, and elsewhere on campus.

Coming out to a health care provider

We hope you will feel comfortable sharing information about yourself with your Cornell Health providers. And when seeking sexual health care page, we encourage you to confide in your provider openly about your sexual health history (including your partners, behaviors, concerns) so they can give you the highest-quality care possible. Please be assured that we will respect your needs, concerns, and personal journey, and will maintain your confidentiality.