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World Professional Association for Transgender Health

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World Professional Association for Transgender Health
AbbreviationWPATH
FormationSeptember 1979; 44 years ago (1979-09)
TypeNGO
94-2675140[1]
Legal status501(c)(3)[1]
PurposeTo promote evidence-based care, education, research, advocacy, public policy, and respect in transgender health.[2]
HeadquartersEast Dundee, Illinois, U.S.
ProductsStandards of Care for the Health of Transsexual, Transgender, and Gender Nonconforming People
Membership (2021)
2,700[3]
Walter Pierre Bouman[4]
Marci Bowers[4]
Asa Radix[4]
Loren Schechter[4]
Revenue (2016)
$1,245,915[2]
Expenses (2016)$1,144,284[2]
Employees (2016)
0[2]
Websitewww.wpath.org Edit this at Wikidata
Formerly called
Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association

The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), formerly the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association (HBIGDA), is a professional organization devoted to the understanding and treatment of gender identity and gender dysphoria, and creating standardized treatment for transgender and gender variant people. WPATH was founded in 1979 and named HBIGDA in honor of Harry Benjamin during a period where there was no clinical consensus on how and when to provide gender-affirming care. WPATH is mostly known for the Standards of Care for the Health of Transgender and Gender Diverse People (SOC).

Standards of Care

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Main article: Standards of Care for the Health of Transgender and Gender Diverse People

WPATH publishes the Standards of Care for the Health of Transgender and Gender Diverse People, which is used to educate professionals and consumers. The first version of the Standards of Care were published in 1979.[5] WPATH released Version 8, the latest edition, in 2022.[6] Previous versions were released in 1979 (1st),[7] 1980 (2nd),[8] 1981 (3rd),[9][10] 1990 (4th),[11] 1998 (5th),[12] 2001 (6th),[13][14] and 2012 (7th).[15]

SOC is an internationally accepted and influential document outlining how to provide patients with transition related care. Early versions of the SOC focused gender transition towards psychologists and psychiatrists and framed transgender identity as a mental illness.[16][17] Beginning in approximately 2010, with pushing from trans activists[18] the WPATH began publicly advocating the depsychopathologization of transgender identities in the 7th version of the SOC.[19][20]

History

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Background

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Medical treatment for gender dysphoria was publicized in the early 1950s by accounts such as those of Christine Jorgensen.[21] During this period, the majority of literature on gender diversity was pathologizing, positing dysfunctional families as the causes of dysphoria and recommending reparative therapy and psychoanalysis, such as Robert Stoller' work. Others such as George Rekers and Ole Ivar Lovaas recommended behavioral treatments to extinguish cross-sex identification and reinforce gender-normative behaviors.[21] Knowledge on various aspects of transition related care had existed for decades, but there was no clinical consensus on the care pathways for transgender people.[22]

In 1966, Harry Benjamin published The Transsexual Phenomenon, arguing that since there was no cure for transsexualism, it was in the best interests of transsexuals and society to aid in sex reassignment and in the same year the Johns Hopkins Gender Clinic was opened by John Money.[21] In 1969, Reed Erickson, a wealthy transgender man who played a large role in funding research and clinics for trans healthcare through the Erickson Educational Foundation, funded Richard Green and Money's book Transsexualism and Sex Reassignment, a multidisciplinary volume exploring instructions on medical care as well as social and clinical aspects, which was dedicated to Benjamin.[22][21] The same year, he funded the 1st International Symposium on Gender Identity in London.[22] The 4th conference, taking place in 1975, was the first to use Benjamin's name in the title.[21]

1979-2000

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The Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association and Standards of Care (SOC) were conceived during the 5th International Gender Dysphoria Symposium (IGDS) in 1977.[23] The organization was named in honor of Benjamin[24] and supported a mixture of psychological and medical treatment.[25][26] The founding committee was entirely American and consisted of Jack Berger, Richard Green, Donald R. Laub, Charles Reynolds Jr., Paul A. Walker, Leo Wollman, and transgender activist Jude Patton with Walker serving as president; The first SOC committee included all founding committee members with the exception of Patton, a vote by attendees having opposed a "consumer" board member.[23] The Articles of Incorporation were approved in 1979 at the 6th IGDS and HBIGDA was legally incorporated 7 months later.[23]

The initial Standards of Care, The hormonal and surgical sex reassignment of gender dysphoric persons, were published in 1979 and served both as clinical guidelines for treating patients and to protect those who provided the treatments.[25] Versions 2, 3, and 4 of the SOC were published in 1980, 1981 and 1990 respectively under the same name with few changes.[23][21][22] These versions of the SOC followed the gatekeeping model laid out by Benjamin, where clinicians set strict eligibility requirements, requiring evaluations from separate mental health professionals and compulsory psychotherapy.[21][26][22] WPATH played a large role in the addition of "Gender Identity Disorder" to the DSM-III in 1980.[23] These versions used the DSM-III's criteria for the diagnoses of "Transsexualism" and "Gender Identity Disorder of Childhood", which had largely been authored by Richard Green.[22] This led to feedback loops in research where the diagnostic criteria were thought correct since transgender people provided the narratives expected of them to access care.[22]

In the 1990's, WPATH was struggling to operate due to criticisms of their SOC in the trans community such as the requirement of the "real life test", where patients had to socially transition for up to a year prior to hormones. These critiques developed into a trans-led Advocacy and Liason committee, marking the first time trans people were officially and actively consulted regarding their treatment.[27] The 5th version, published in 1998, was titled the "Standards of Care for Gender Identity Disorders" to be consistent with the DSM-III. It recommended but did not require psychotherapy and stated that while GID was a mental disorder, that was not a license for stigma.[21]

2001 - present

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The Standards of Care (SOC) 6 was published in 2001 and offered more flexibility and individualized care but continued to use the phrase "gender identity disorder". At the same time transgender people increasingly complained of having to "jump through hoops".[21] In 2006, the organization changed it's name from the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association (HBIGDA) to the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH).[21][28] In 2007, Stephen Whittle became the first transgender president of the organization.[22]

In 2010, WPATH published the "depath statement", urging the "depsychopathologisation of gender variance worldwide" by governments and medical bodies.[21][29] Shortly afterwards it released the "Identity Recognition Statement", urging governmental and medical bodies to endorse gender self-identification and no longer require surgery or sterilization as a prerequisite.[21]

The SOC 7, published in 2011, was more evidence-based than the previous versions and first to include an international advisory committee of transgender community leaders. It changed the name to the "Standards of Care for the Health of Transsexual, Transgender, and Gender-Nonconforming People", began to use the phrase "gender dysphoria", and marked a shift from conceiving gender as a binary to a spectrum.[22][21]

In 2022 the current edition of the Standards of Care 8 was published.[6]

Organization

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Membership

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Professionals include anyone working in disciplines such as medicine, psychology, law, social work, counseling, psychotherapy, family studies, sociology, anthropology, speech and voice therapy and sexology. Non-professionals may also join, paying the same membership fee, but without voting privileges.[30] The organization is funded by its membership and by donations and grants from non-commercial sources.[31] The current president of the organization is Marci Bowers.[32]

Regional organizations

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WPATH is affiliated with several regional organizations, including the European Professional Association for Transgender Health, the United States Professional Association for Transgender Health and ASIAPATH.[33]

References

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  1. ^ a b "World Professional Association For Transgender Health Archived 2018-10-04 at the Wayback Machine". Tax Exempt Organization Search. Internal Revenue Service. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d "Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax Archived 2022-06-18 at the Wayback Machine". World Professional Association for Transgender Health. Guidestar. December 31, 2016.
  3. ^ Bowers, Marci (January 11, 2021). Dear WPATH Membership (PDF). WPATH. WPATH has seen significant growth in its membership and programming over the past year, now with more than 2700 members and 49 countries represented.
  4. ^ a b c d ["https://www.wpath.org/about/EC-BOD Archived 2018-10-04 at the Wayback Machine]". World Professional Association for Transgender Health. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  5. ^ Figures, K. (2007). Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association Is Founded. In Faderman, Lillian & Retter, Yolanda (Eds.). Great Events from History: Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Events, 1848-2006 Salem Press, ISBN 978-1-58765-263-9
  6. ^ a b Coleman, E.; Radix, A. E.; Bouman, W. P.; Brown, G. R.; de Vries, A. L. C.; Deutsch, M. B.; Ettner, R.; Fraser, L.; Goodman, M.; Green, J.; Hancock, A. B.; Johnson, T. W.; Karasic, D. H.; Knudson, G. A.; Leibowitz, S. F. (2022-08-19). "Standards of Care for the Health of Transgender and Gender Diverse People, Version 8". International Journal of Transgender Health. 23 (sup1): S1–S259. doi:10.1080/26895269.2022.2100644. ISSN 2689-5269. PMC 9553112. PMID 36238954. S2CID 252127302.
  7. ^ Walker, P. A.; Berger, J. C.; Green, R.; Laub, D. R.; Reynolds, C. L.; Wollman, L. (13 February 1979), Standards of Care: The Hormonal and Surgical Sex Reassignment of Gender Dysphoric Persons (1 ed.), Palo Alto, California: The Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association, Inc.
  8. ^ Walker, P. A.; Berger, J. C.; Green, R.; Laub, D. R.; Reynolds, C. L.; Wollman, L. (20 January 1980), Standards of Care: The Hormonal and Surgical Sex Reassignment of Gender Dysphoric Persons (2 ed.), Stanford, California: The Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association, Inc.
  9. ^ Walker, P. A.; Berger, J. C.; Green, R.; Laub, D. R.; Reynolds, C. L.; Wollman, L. (9 March 1981), Standards of Care: The Hormonal and Surgical Sex Reassignment of Gender Dysphoric Persons (3 ed.), San Francisco, California: The Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association
  10. ^ Walker, P. A.; Berger, J. C.; Green, R.; Laub, D. R.; Reynolds, C. L.; Wollman, L. (February 1985). "Standards of Care: The Hormonal and Surgical Sex Reassignment of Gender Dysphoric Persons [3rd Edition]". Archives of Sexual Behavior. 14 (1): 79–90. doi:10.1007/BF01541354. ISSN 0004-0002. PMID 3977585.
  11. ^ Walker, P. A.; Berger, J. C.; Green, R.; Laub, D. R.; Reynolds, C. L.; Wollman, L. (25 January 1990), Standards of Care: The Hormonal and Surgical Sex Reassignment of Gender Dysphoric Persons (4 ed.), San Francisco, California: The Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association, archived from the original on 2004-02-27
  12. ^ Levine, S. B.; Brown, G.; Coleman, E.; Cohen-Kettenis, P.; Joris Hage, J.; Van Maasdam, J.; Petersen, M.; Pfaefflin, F.; Schaefer, L. C. (June 1998). "The Standards of Care for Gender Identity Disorders [5th Edition]". International Journal of Transgenderism. 2 (2). Archived from the original on 1998-12-05. Consultants: Dallas Denny MA, Domineco DiCeglie MD, Wolf Eicher MD, Jamison Green, Richard Green MD, Louis Gooren MD, Donald Laub MD, Anne Lawrence MD, Walter Meyer III MD, C. Christine Wheeler Ph.D
  13. ^ Meyer, W.; Bockting, W. O.; Cohen-Kettenis, P.; Coleman, E.; DiCeglie, D.; Devor, H.; Gooren, L.; Joris Hage, J.; Kirk, S.; Kuiper, B.; Laub, D.; Lawrence, A.; Menard, Y.; Patton, J.; Schaefer, L.; Webb, A.; Wheeler, C. C. (February 2001). "The Standards of Care for Gender Identity Disorders – Sixth Version". International Journal of Transgenderism. 5 (1). Archived from the original on 2001-07-09.
  14. ^ Meyer, W.; Bockting, W. O.; Cohen-Kettenis, P.; Coleman, E.; DiCeglie, D.; Devor, H.; Gooren, L.; Joris Hage, J.; Kirk, S.; Kuiper, B.; Laub, D.; Lawrence, A.; Menard, Y.; Patton, J.; Schaefer, L.; Webb, A.; Wheeler, C. C. (2001). "The Standards of Care for Gender Identity Disorders, Sixth Version" (PDF). Journal of Psychology & Human Sexuality. 13 (1): 1–30. doi:10.1300/J056v13n01_01. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-03-17.
  15. ^ Coleman, Eli; et al. Standards of Care for the Health of Transsexual, Transgender, and Gender-Nonconforming People, Version 7 (PDF) (Report). World Professional Association for Transgender Health. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-03-27. Retrieved 2024-08-25.
  16. ^ Midence, Kenny; Hargreaves, Isabel (1997). "Psychosocial Adjustment in Male-to-Female Transsexuals: An Overview of the Research Evidence". The Journal of Psychology. 131 (6): 602–614. doi:10.1080/00223989709603842. ISSN 0022-3980.
  17. ^ Levine, Stephen B.; Brown, George R.; Coleman, Eli; Cohen-Kettenis, Peggy T.; Hage, J. Joris; Maasdam, Judy Van; Petersen, Maxine; Pfäfflin, Friedemann; Schaefer, Leah C. (1999-12-06). "The Standards of Care for Gender Identity Disorders". Journal of Psychology & Human Sexuality. 11 (2): 1–34. doi:10.1300/J056v11n02_01. ISSN 0890-7064.
  18. ^ Rosenthal, G. Samantha (2024-02-12). "Pseudoscience Has Long Been Used to Oppress Transgender People". Scientific American. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
  19. ^ Corneil, Trevor A.; Eisfeld, Justus H.; Botzer, Marsha (2010-09-20). "Proposed Changes to Diagnoses Related to Gender Identity in the DSM : A World Professional Association for Transgender Health Consensus Paper Regarding the Potential Impact on Access to Health Care for Transgender Persons". International Journal of Transgenderism. 12 (2): 107–114. doi:10.1080/15532739.2010.509205. ISSN 1553-2739.
  20. ^ Monstrey, Stan; Vercruysse, Herman; De Cuypere, Griet (2009-08-31). "Is Gender Reassignment Surgery Evidence Based? Recommendation for the Seventh Version of the WPATH Standards of Care". International Journal of Transgenderism. 11 (3): 206–214. doi:10.1080/15532730903383799. ISSN 1553-2739.
  21. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Fraser, Lin (2015). "Gender Dysphoria: Definition and Evolution Through the Years". In Trombetta, Carlo; Liguori, Giovanni; Bertolotto, Michele (eds.). Management of Gender Dysphoria: A Multidisciplinary Approach. Milano: Springer Milan. pp. 19–31. doi:10.1007/978-88-470-5696-1_3. ISBN 978-88-470-5696-1.
  22. ^ a b c d e f g h i Riggs, Damien W.; Pearce, Ruth; Pfeffer, Carla A.; Hines, Sally; White, Francis; Ruspini, Elisabetta (2019). "Transnormativity in the psy disciplines: Constructing pathology in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and Standards of Care". American Psychologist. 74 (8): 912–924. doi:10.1037/amp0000545. ISSN 1935-990X. PMID 31697127.
  23. ^ a b c d e Matte, Nicholas; Devor, Aaron H.; Vladicka, Theresa (2009-05-12). "Nomenclature in the World Professional Association for Transgender Health's Standards of Care : Background and Recommendations". International Journal of Transgenderism. 11 (1): 42–52. doi:10.1080/15532730902799979. ISSN 1553-2739.
  24. ^ Allee, Kegan M. "Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association". In Encyclopedia of gender and society, Volume 1, p. 402. SAGE, ISBN 978-1-4129-0916-7
  25. ^ a b Dewey, Jodie M. (2015). "Challenges of implementing collaborative models of decision making with trans-identified patients". Health Expectations. 18 (5): 1508–1518. doi:10.1111/hex.12133. ISSN 1369-6513. PMC 5060816. PMID 24102959.
  26. ^ a b Fraser, Lin; Knudson, Gail (2017-03-01). "Past and Future Challenges Associated with Standards of Care for Gender Transitioning Clients". Psychiatric Clinics of North America. Clinical Issues and Affirmative Treatment with Transgender Clients. 40 (1): 15–27. doi:10.1016/j.psc.2016.10.012. ISSN 0193-953X. PMID 28159141.
  27. ^ https://manifold.umn.edu/read/trans-care/section/dd523426-df6e-4897-922c-2094646b335a [bare URL]
  28. ^ Cole, Althea (2024-03-10). "Poor standards of trans health care threaten trans health". The Gazette. Vol. 142, no. 61. Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States of America. pp. C10. Retrieved 2024-08-25.
  29. ^ "WPATH "depath statement"" (PDF) (Press release). WPATH. May 26, 2010.
  30. ^ "Membership Information". WPATH. Archived from the original on 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2018-06-09.
  31. ^ "WPATH". Archived from the original on 2020-11-03. Retrieved 2018-06-09.
  32. ^ "Transcript: Dr. Marci Bowers on "Face the Nation," July 23, 2023 - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 2023-07-23. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
  33. ^ Cross, Alexander (2023). The WPATH Standards of Care: Their History and Importance in Advocating for Transgender Health (BA thesis). University of Maine. Retrieved 2024-08-25.
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