World Professional Association for Transgender Health

{{Short description|none}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2026}} {{cs1 config|display-authors=4}} {{Infobox organization | name = World Professional Association for Transgender Health | logo = WPATH-logo_v2.png | logo_alt = | formation = {{start date and age|1979|09}} | type = NGO | status = 501(c)(3)<ref name="irseos" /> | purpose = To promote evidence-based care, education, research, advocacy, public policy, and respect in transgender health<ref name="990-2016" /> | headquarters = East Dundee, Illinois, U.S. | num_members_year = 2021 | leader_title = President | leader_name = Asa Radix<ref name="board">{{Cite web |title=Executive Committee and Board of Directors |url=https://www.wpath.org/about/EC-BOD |access-date=November 22, 2024 |publisher=World Professional Association for Transgender Health}}</ref> | leader_title2 = President-elect | leader_name2 = Loren Schechter<ref name="board" /> | leader_title3 = Secretary | leader_name3 = Chris McLachlach<ref name="board" /> | leader_title4 = Treasurer | leader_name4 = Stephen Rosenthal<ref name="board" /> | board_of_directors = | former_name = Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association | abbreviation = WPATH | tax_id = 94-2675140<ref name="irseos">"[https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/displayAll.do?dispatchMethod=displayAllInfo&Id=1040036&ein=942675140&country=US&deductibility=all&dispatchMethod=searchAll&isDescending=false&city=&ein1=94-2675140&postDateFrom=&exemptTypeCode=al&submitName=Search&sortColumn=orgName&totalResults=1&names=&resultsPerPage=25&indexOfFirstRow=0&postDateTo=&state=All+States World Professional Association for Transgender Health] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181004190042/https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/displayAll.do?dispatchMethod=displayAllInfo&Id=1040036&ein=942675140&country=US&deductibility=all&dispatchMethod=searchAll&isDescending=false&city=&ein1=94-2675140&postDateFrom=&exemptTypeCode=al&submitName=Search&sortColumn=orgName&totalResults=1&names=&resultsPerPage=25&indexOfFirstRow=0&postDateTo=&state=All+States |date=2018-10-04 }}". ''Tax Exempt Organization Search''. Internal Revenue Service. Retrieved October 4, 2018.</ref> | num_employees = 0<ref name="990-2016">"[https://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2016/942/675/2016-942675140-0ed1c095-9.pdf Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220618104735/https://pdf.guidestar.org/PDF_Images/2016/942/675/2016-942675140-0ed1c095-9.pdf |date=2022-06-18 }}". ''World Professional Association for Transgender Health''. Guidestar. December 31, 2016.</ref> | num_employees_year = 2016 | revenue = $1,245,915<ref name="990-2016" /> | revenue_year = 2016 | expenses = $1,144,284<ref name="990-2016" /> | expenses_year = 2016 | products = ''Standards of Care for the Health of Transgender and Gender Diverse People'' | membership = 2,700<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bowers |first=Marci |url=https://www.wpath.org/media/cms/Documents/Newsroom/Announcements/Marci%20Bowers%202020%20year%20in%20review%20WPATH%20final.pdf?_t=1610373307 |title=Dear WPATH Membership |date=January 11, 2021 |publisher=WPATH |quote=WPATH has seen significant growth in its membership and programming over the past year, now with more than 2,700 members and 49 countries represented. |access-date=November 14, 2023 |archive-date=November 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231114012722/https://www.wpath.org/media/cms/Documents/Newsroom/Announcements/Marci%20Bowers%202020%20year%20in%20review%20WPATH%20final.pdf?_t=1610373307 |url-status=live }}</ref> | website = {{official URL}} }}

The '''World Professional Association for Transgender Health''' ('''WPATH'''), formerly the '''Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association''' ('''HBIGDA'''), is a professional organization focused on understanding and treatment of gender incongruence and gender dysphoria, and creating standardized treatment for transgender and gender variant people. WPATH was founded in 1979 and named HBIGDA in honor of one of its founders, Harry Benjamin, during a period when there was no clinical consensus on how and when to provide gender-affirming care.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association (HBIGDA) Collection, 1978-2006 - Archives Online at Indiana University |url=https://archives.iu.edu/catalog/VAC9109 |access-date=November 26, 2024 |website=archives.iu.edu}}</ref>

WPATH is mostly known for the Standards of Care for the Health of Transgender and Gender Diverse People (SOC). Early versions of the SOC mandated strict gatekeeping of transition by psychologists and psychiatrists and framed transgender identity as a mental illness. Beginning in approximately 2010, WPATH began publicly advocating the depsychopathologization of transgender identities, and the seventh and eighth versions of the SOC took an approach that was more evidence-based.<ref name="HBIGDA-SOC-3-1981" /><ref name="Dewey_2015" /><ref name="Fraser_2017" />

==Standards of Care== {{main|Standards of Care for the Health of Transgender and Gender Diverse People}}

WPATH develops,<ref name="Coleman_et_al_2022">{{Cite journal |last1=Coleman |first1=E. |last2=Radix |first2=A. E. |last3=Bouman |first3=W. P. |last4=Brown |first4=G. R. |last5=de Vries |first5=A. L. C. |last6=Deutsch |first6=M. B. |last7=Ettner |first7=R. |last8=Fraser |first8=L. |last9=Goodman |first9=M. |last10=Green |first10=J. |last11=Hancock |first11=A. B. |last12=Johnson |first12=T. W. |last13=Karasic |first13=D. H. |last14=Knudson |first14=G. A. |last15=Leibowitz |first15=S. F. |date=August 19, 2022 |title=Standards of Care for the Health of Transgender and Gender Diverse People, Version 8 |journal=International Journal of Transgender Health |volume=23 |issue=sup1 |pages=S1–S259 |doi=10.1080/26895269.2022.2100644 |issn=2689-5269 |pmc=9553112 |pmid=36238954}}</ref> publishes, and reviews guidelines for persons with gender dysphoria, under the name Standards of Care for the Health of Transgender and Gender Diverse People (SOC). The overall goal of the SOC is to provide clinical guidance for health professionals to assist transgender and gender-nonconforming people with safe and effective pathways to achieving lasting personal comfort with their gendered selves, in order to maximize their overall health, psychological well-being, and self-fulfillment.<ref name="Selvaggi_2012">{{Cite journal |last1=Selvaggi |first1=Gennaro |last2=Dhejne |first2=Cecilia |last3=Landen |first3=Mikael |last4=Elander |first4=Anna |date=2012 |title=The 2011 WPATH Standards of Care and Penile Reconstruction in Female-to-Male Transsexual Individuals |journal=Advances in Urology |volume=2012 |pages=1–13 |doi=10.1155/2012/581712 |issn=1687-6369 |pmc=3359659 |pmid=22654902 |doi-access=free}}</ref> To keep up with increasing scientific evidence, WPATH periodically commissions an update to the SOC, and the WPATH Guideline Steering Committee oversees the guideline development process.<ref name="Coleman_et_al_2022" /> The first version of the SOC was published in 1979.<ref name="Figures_2007">{{Cite book |last=Figures |first=K. |title=Great Events from History: Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Events, 1848-2006 |publisher=Salem Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-58765-263-9 |editor-last=Faderman |editor-first=Lillian |chapter=Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association Is Founded |editor-last2=Retter |editor-first2=Yolanda}}</ref><ref name="HBIGDA-SOC-1-1979">{{cite book |last1=Walker |first1=P. A. |title=Standards of Care: The Hormonal and Surgical Sex Reassignment of Gender Dysphoric Persons |date=February 13, 1979 |url=https://scholar.google.com/scholar?cluster=3937857535576528085 |edition=1 |place=Palo Alto, California |publisher=The Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association |last2=Berger |first2=J. C. |last3=Green |first3=R. |last4=Laub |first4=D. R. |last5=Reynolds |first5=C. L. |last6=Wollman |first6=L.}}</ref> Updates were released in 1980 (2nd),<ref name="HBIGDA-SOC-2-1980">{{cite book |last1=Walker |first1=P. A. |title=Standards of Care: The Hormonal and Surgical Sex Reassignment of Gender Dysphoric Persons |date=January 20, 1980 |url=https://scholar.google.com/scholar?cluster=4070995568726990498 |edition=2 |place=Stanford, California |publisher=The Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association |last2=Berger |first2=J. C. |last3=Green |first3=R. |last4=Laub |first4=D. R. |last5=Reynolds |first5=C. L. |last6=Wollman |first6=L. |access-date=May 15, 2024 |archive-date=September 9, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240909154709/https://scholar.google.com/scholar?cluster=4070995568726990498 |url-status=live }}</ref> 1981 (3rd),<ref name="HBIGDA-SOC-3-1981">{{Citation |last1=Walker |first1=P. A. |title=Standards of Care: The Hormonal and Surgical Sex Reassignment of Gender Dysphoric Persons |date=March 9, 1981 |url=https://archive.org/details/sexgendertheolog0000unse/page/284/ |edition=3 |place=San Francisco, California |publisher=The Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association |last2=Berger |first2=J. C. |last3=Green |first3=R. |last4=Laub |first4=D. R. |last5=Reynolds |first5=C. L. |last6=Wollman |first6=L.}}</ref><ref name="HBIGDA-SOC-3-1981-Reprint">{{Cite journal |last1=Walker |first1=P. A. |last2=Berger |first2=J. C. |last3=Green |first3=R. |last4=Laub |first4=D. R. |last5=Reynolds |first5=C. L. |last6=Wollman |first6=L. |date=February 1985 |title=Standards of Care: The Hormonal and Surgical Sex Reassignment of Gender Dysphoric Persons [3rd Edition] |journal=Archives of Sexual Behavior |volume=14 |issue=1 |pages=79–90 |doi=10.1007/BF01541354 |issn=0004-0002 |pmid=3977585}}</ref> 1990 (4th),<ref name="HBIGDA-SOC-4-1990">{{cite web |last1=Walker |first1=P. A. |title=Standards of Care: The Hormonal and Surgical Sex Reassignment of Gender Dysphoric Persons |date=January 25, 1990 |url=http://www.genderpsychology.org/transsexual/hbsoc_1990.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040227222132/http://www.genderpsychology.org/transsexual/hbsoc_1990.html |archive-date=February 27, 2004 |edition=4 |place=San Francisco, California |publisher=The Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association |last2=Berger |first2=J. C. |last3=Green |first3=R. |last4=Laub |first4=D. R. |last5=Reynolds |first5=C. L. |last6=Wollman |first6=L.}}</ref> 1998 (5th),<ref name="HBIGDA-SOC-5-1998">{{Cite journal |last1=Levine |first1=S. B. |last2=Brown |first2=G. |last3=Coleman |first3=E. |last4=Cohen-Kettenis |first4=P. |last5=Joris Hage |first5=J. |last6=Van Maasdam |first6=J. |last7=Petersen |first7=M. |last8=Pfaefflin |first8=F. |last9=Schaefer |first9=L. C. |date=June 1998 |title=The Standards of Care for Gender Identity Disorders [5th Edition] |url=http://www.symposion.com/ijt/ijtc0405.htm |journal=International Journal of Transgenderism |volume=2 |issue=2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19981205104251/http://www.symposion.com/ijt/ijtc0405.htm |archive-date=December 5, 1998}}</ref> 2001 (6th),<ref name="HBIGDA-SOC-6-2001">{{Cite journal |last1=Meyer |first1=W. |last2=Bockting |first2=W. O. |last3=Cohen-Kettenis |first3=P. |last4=Coleman |first4=E. |last5=DiCeglie |first5=D. |last6=Devor |first6=H. |last7=Gooren |first7=L. |last8=Joris Hage |first8=J. |last9=Kirk |first9=S. |last10=Kuiper |first10=B. |last11=Laub |first11=D. |last12=Lawrence |first12=A. |last13=Menard |first13=Y. |last14=Patton |first14=J. |last15=Schaefer |first15=L. |date=February 2001 |title=The Standards of Care for Gender Identity Disorders – Sixth Version |url=http://www.symposion.com/ijt/soc_2001/ |journal=International Journal of Transgenderism |volume=5 |issue=1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010709084442/http://www.symposion.com/ijt/soc_2001/ |archive-date=July 9, 2001 |last16=Webb |first16=A. |last17=Wheeler |first17=C. C.}}</ref><ref name="HBIGDA-SOC-6-2001-Reprint">{{Cite journal |last1=Meyer |first1=W. |last2=Bockting |first2=W. O. |last3=Cohen-Kettenis |first3=P. |last4=Coleman |first4=E. |last5=DiCeglie |first5=D. |last6=Devor |first6=H. |last7=Gooren |first7=L. |last8=Joris Hage |first8=J. |last9=Kirk |first9=S. |last10=Kuiper |first10=B. |last11=Laub |first11=D. |last12=Lawrence |first12=A. |last13=Menard |first13=Y. |last14=Patton |first14=J. |last15=Schaefer |first15=L. |date=2001 |title=The Standards of Care for Gender Identity Disorders, Sixth Version |url=https://onlineacademiccommunity.uvic.ca/ahdevor/wp-content/uploads/sites/2247/2020/04/The-Harry-Benjamin-International-Gender-Dysphoria-Association-s-Standards-of-Care-for-Gender-Identity-Disorders-Sixth-Version.pdf |journal=Journal of Psychology & Human Sexuality |volume=13 |issue=1 |pages=1–30 |doi=10.1300/J056v13n01_01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240317223231/https://onlineacademiccommunity.uvic.ca/ahdevor/wp-content/uploads/sites/2247/2020/04/The-Harry-Benjamin-International-Gender-Dysphoria-Association-s-Standards-of-Care-for-Gender-Identity-Disorders-Sixth-Version.pdf |archive-date=March 17, 2024 |last16=Webb |first16=A. |last17=Wheeler |first17=C. C.}}</ref> and 2012 (7th).<ref name="WPATH-SOC-7-2012">{{Cite report |url=https://www.wpath.org/media/cms/Documents/SOC%20v7/SOC%20V7_English.pdf |title=Standards of Care for the Health of Transsexual, Transgender, and Gender-Nonconforming People, Version 7 |last1=Coleman |first1=Eli |last2=Bockting |first2=Walter |publisher=World Professional Association for Transgender Health |last3=Botzer |first3=Marsha |last4=Cohen-Kettenis |first4=Peggy |last5=DeCuypere |first5=Griet |last6=Feldman |first6=Jamie |last7=Fraser |first7=Lin |last8=Green |first8=Jamison |last9=Knudson |first9=Gail |last10=Meyer |first10=Walter J. |last11=Monstrey |first11=Stan |last12=Adler |first12=Richard K. |last13=Brown |first13=George R. |last14=Devor |first14=Aaron H. |last15=Ehrbar |first15=Randall |access-date=August 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180327142657/https://www.wpath.org/media/cms/Documents/SOC%20v7/SOC%20V7_English.pdf |archive-date=March 27, 2018 |last16=Ettner |first16=Randi |last17=Eyler |first17=Evan |last18=Garofalo |first18=Rob |last19=Karasic |first19=Dan H. |last20=Lev |first20=Arlene Istar |last21=Mayer |first21=Gal |last22=Meyer-Bahlburg |first22=Heino |last23=Hall |first23=Blaine Paxton |last24=Pfaefflin |first24=Friedmann |last25=Rachlin |first25=Katherine |last26=Robinson |first26=Bean |last27=Schechter |first27=Loren S. |last28=Tangpricha |first28=Vin |last29=van Trotsenburg |first29=Mick |last30=Vitale |first30=Anne |last31=Winter |first31=Sam |last32=Whittle |first32=Stephen |last33=Wylie |first33=Kevan R. |last34=Zucker |first34=Ken}}</ref> WPATH published the latest edition (the 8th) in 2022;<ref name="SOC8">{{Cite journal |last1=Coleman |first1=E. |last2=Radix |first2=A. E. |last3=Bouman |first3=W. P. |last4=Brown |first4=G. R. |last5=de Vries |first5=A. L. C. |last6=Deutsch |first6=M. B. |last7=Ettner |first7=R. |last8=Fraser |first8=L. |last9=Goodman |first9=M. |last10=Green |first10=J. |last11=Hancock |first11=A. B. |last12=Johnson |first12=T. W. |last13=Karasic |first13=D. H. |last14=Knudson |first14=G. A. |last15=Leibowitz |first15=S. F. |date=August 19, 2022 |title=Standards of Care for the Health of Transgender and Gender Diverse People, Version 8 |journal=International Journal of Transgender Health |volume=23 |issue=sup1 |pages=S1–S259 |doi=10.1080/26895269.2022.2100644 |issn=2689-5269 |pmc=9553112 |pmid=36238954 |s2cid=252127302}}</ref> it is described as being based upon a "more rigorous and methodological evidence-based approach than previous versions".<ref name="Coleman_et_al_2022" />

The SOC is an internationally accepted and influential document outlining how to provide patients with transition-related care. Early versions focused gender transition towards psychologists and psychiatrists and framed transgender identity as a mental illness.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Midence |first1=Kenny |last2=Hargreaves |first2=Isabel |date=1997 |title=Psychosocial Adjustment in Male-to-Female Transsexuals: An Overview of the Research Evidence |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00223989709603842 |journal=The Journal of Psychology |volume=131 |issue=6 |pages=602–614 |doi=10.1080/00223989709603842 |issn=0022-3980 |pmid=9390414 |access-date=August 26, 2024 |archive-date=June 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220619195014/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00223989709603842 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Levine |first1=Stephen B. |last2=Brown |first2=George R. |last3=Coleman |first3=Eli |last4=Cohen-Kettenis |first4=Peggy T. |last5=Hage |first5=J. Joris |last6=Maasdam |first6=Judy Van |last7=Petersen |first7=Maxine |last8=Pfäfflin |first8=Friedemann |last9=Schaefer |first9=Leah C. |date=December 6, 1999 |title=The Standards of Care for Gender Identity Disorders |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1300/J056v11n02_01 |journal=Journal of Psychology & Human Sexuality |volume=11 |issue=2 |pages=1–34 |doi=10.1300/J056v11n02_01 |issn=0890-7064 |access-date=August 26, 2024 |archive-date=May 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240512222451/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1300/J056v11n02_01 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref> Beginning in approximately 2010, with a push from trans rights activists,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rosenthal |first=G. Samantha |date=February 12, 2024 |title=Pseudoscience Has Long Been Used to Oppress Transgender People |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/pseudoscience-has-long-been-used-to-oppress-transgender-people/ |access-date=August 26, 2024 |website=Scientific American}}</ref> WPATH began publicly advocating the depsychopathologization of transgender identities in the 7th version of the SOC.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Corneil |first1=Trevor A. |last2=Eisfeld |first2=Justus H. |last3=Botzer |first3=Marsha |date=September 20, 2010 |title=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 |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15532739.2010.509205 |journal=International Journal of Transgenderism |volume=12 |issue=2 |pages=107–114 |doi=10.1080/15532739.2010.509205 |issn=1553-2739|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Monstrey |first1=Stan |last2=Vercruysse |first2=Herman |last3=De Cuypere |first3=Griet |date=August 31, 2009 |title=Is Gender Reassignment Surgery Evidence Based? Recommendation for the Seventh Version of the WPATH Standards of Care |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15532730903383799 |journal=International Journal of Transgenderism |volume=11 |issue=3 |pages=206–214 |doi=10.1080/15532730903383799 |issn=1553-2739|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

==History== ===Background=== Medical treatment for gender dysphoria was publicized in the early 1950s by accounts such as those of Christine Jorgensen.<ref name="Fraser_2015" /> 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's work. Others, such as George Rekers and Ole Ivar Lovaas, recommended behavioral treatments to extinguish cross-sex identification and reinforce gender-normative behaviors.<ref name="Fraser_2015" /> Knowledge on various aspects of transition-related care had existed for decades, but there was no clinical consensus on care pathways for transgender people.<ref name="Riggs_2019" />

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. In the same year, the Johns Hopkins Gender Clinic was opened by John Money.<ref name="Fraser_2015" /> 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.<ref name="Riggs_2019">{{Cite journal |last1=Riggs |first1=Damien W. |last2=Pearce |first2=Ruth |last3=Pfeffer |first3=Carla A. |last4=Hines |first4=Sally |last5=White |first5=Francis |last6=Ruspini |first6=Elisabetta |year=2019 |title=Transnormativity in the psy disciplines: Constructing pathology in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and Standards of Care. |url=https://doi.apa.org/doi/10.1037/amp0000545 |journal=American Psychologist |volume=74 |issue=8 |pages=912–924 |doi=10.1037/amp0000545 |issn=1935-990X |pmid=31697127|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name="Fraser_2015" /> The same year, Erickson funded the first International Symposium on Gender Identity in London.<ref name="Riggs_2019" /> The fourth conference, taking place in 1975, was the first to use Benjamin's name in its title.<ref name="Fraser_2015" />

===1979–2000=== The Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association and Standards of Care (SOC) were conceived during the fifth International Gender Dysphoria Symposium (IGDS), in 1977.<ref name="Matte_2009">{{Cite journal |last1=Matte |first1=Nicholas |last2=Devor |first2=Aaron H. |last3=Vladicka |first3=Theresa |date=May 12, 2009 |title=Nomenclature in the World Professional Association for Transgender Health's Standards of Care : Background and Recommendations |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15532730902799979 |journal=International Journal of Transgenderism |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=42–52 |doi=10.1080/15532730902799979 |issn=1553-2739|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name="allee">{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of gender and society |publisher=SAGE |last=Allee |first=Kegan M. |date=2009 |volume=1 |page=402 |isbn=978-1-4129-0916-7}}</ref> The organization supported a mix of psychological and medical treatment.<ref name="Dewey_2015">{{Cite journal |last=Dewey |first=Jodie M. |year=2015 |title=Challenges of implementing collaborative models of decision making with trans-identified patients |journal=Health Expectations |volume=18 |issue=5 |pages=1508–1518 |doi=10.1111/hex.12133 |issn=1369-6513 |pmc=5060816 |pmid=24102959}}</ref><ref name="Fraser_2017" /> 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 organization was legally incorporated in 1979.<ref name="Matte_2009" />

The initial SOC, ''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.<ref name="Dewey_2015" /> Versions 2, 3, and 4 of the SOC were published in 1980, 1981, and 1990, respectively, under the same name, with few changes.<ref name="Matte_2009" /><ref name="Fraser_2015">{{Cite book |last=Fraser |first=Lin |title=Management of Gender Dysphoria: A Multidisciplinary Approach |date=2015 |publisher=Springer Milan |isbn=978-88-470-5696-1 |editor1-last=Trombetta |editor1-first=Carlo |pages=19–31 |chapter=Gender Dysphoria: Definition and Evolution Through the Years |doi=10.1007/978-88-470-5696-1_3 |editor2-last=Liguori |editor2-first=Giovanni |editor3-last=Bertolotto |editor3-first=Michele |chapter-url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-5696-1_3}}</ref><ref name="Riggs_2019" /> These versions of the SOC followed the gatekeeping model laid out by Benjamin, requiring evaluations from separate mental health professionals as well as compulsory psychotherapy.<ref name="Fraser_2015" /><ref name="Fraser_2017">{{Cite journal |last1=Fraser |first1=Lin |last2=Knudson |first2=Gail |date=March 1, 2017 |title=Past and Future Challenges Associated with Standards of Care for Gender Transitioning Clients |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0193953X16300788 |journal=Psychiatric Clinics of North America |series=Clinical Issues and Affirmative Treatment with Transgender Clients |volume=40 |issue=1 |pages=15–27 |doi=10.1016/j.psc.2016.10.012 |issn=0193-953X |pmid=28159141|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name="Riggs_2019" /> WPATH played a large role in the addition of "Gender Identity Disorder" to the DSM-III, in 1980.<ref name="Matte_2009" /> 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.<ref name="Riggs_2019" /> This led to feedback loops in research, where the diagnostic criteria were thought correct since transgender people provided the narratives expected of them in order to access care.<ref name="Riggs_2019" />

In the 1990s, WPATH struggled to operate due to criticisms of their SOC from within the trans community, such as the requirement of a real-life test (RLT),<ref>{{Cite conference |last=Lawrence |first=Anne |date=November 4, 2001 |title=SRS Without a One Year RLE: Still No Regrets |url=http://www.annelawrence.com/hbigda2001.html |conference=XVII Harry Benjamin International Symposium on Gender Dysphoria |location=Galveston, Texas |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623203653/http://www.annelawrence.com/hbigda2001.html |archive-date=June 23, 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref> according to which patients had to socially transition for up to a year prior to receiving hormone therapy. These critiques developed into a trans-led Advocacy and Liaison committee, marking the first time trans people were officially and actively consulted regarding their treatment.<ref name="Malatino">{{Cite web |title=Trans Care within and against the Medical-Industrial Complex |url=https://manifold.umn.edu/read/trans-care/section/dd523426-df6e-4897-922c-2094646b335a |website=manifold.umn.edu}}</ref> The fifth version of the SOC, 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.<ref name="Fraser_2015" />

thumb|Changes to the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) standards of care around gender-affirming medical and surgical treatments over time

===2001–present=== The 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".<ref name="Fraser_2015" /> SOC 6 also did not include significant changes to the tasks mental health professionals were required to take or in the general recommendations for content of the letters of readiness.<ref name="Amengual_2022">{{Cite journal |last1=Amengual |first1=Travis |last2=Kunstman |first2=Kaitlyn |last3=Lloyd |first3=R. Brett |last4=Janssen |first4=Aron |last5=Wescott |first5=Annie B. |date=October 20, 2022 |title=Readiness assessments for gender-affirming surgical treatments: A systematic scoping review of historical practices and changing ethical considerations |journal=Frontiers in Psychiatry |volume=13 |article-number=1006024 |doi=10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1006024 |issn=1664-0640 |pmc=9630738 |pmid=36339880 |doi-access=free}}</ref> An important change in the eligibility criteria for hormone therapy allowed providers to prescribe hormones even if patients had not undergone RLT or psychotherapy if it was for harm-reduction purposes.<ref name="Amengual_2022" /> A notable change in version six separated the eligibility and readiness criteria for top and bottom surgery, allowing some patients,<ref>{{Cite book |title=Handbook of Clinical Sexuality for Mental Health Professionals |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=2011 |editor1-last=Levine |editor1-first=Stephen |location=New York, New York, United States of America |editor2-last=Althof |editor2-first=Stanley |editor3-last=Risen |editor3-first=Candace}}</ref>{{Full citation needed|date=September 2024}} particularly individuals born female, to receive a mastectomy.<ref name="Amengual_2022" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Meyer |first1=Walter |last2=Bockting |first2=Walter O. |last3=Cohen-Kettenis |first3=Peggy |last4=Coleman |first4=Eli |last5=Diceglie |first5=Domenico |last6=Devor |first6=Holly |last7=Gooren |first7=Louis |last8=Hage |first8=J. Joris |last9=Kirk |first9=Sheila |last10=Kuiper |first10=Bram |last11=Laub |first11=Donald |last12=Lawrence |first12=Anne |last13=Menard |first13=Yvon |last14=Patton |first14=Jude |last15=Schaefer |first15=Leah |date=April 11, 2002 |title=The Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association's Standards of Care for Gender Identity Disorders, Sixth Version |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/j056v13n01_01 |journal=Journal of Psychology & Human Sexuality |volume=13 |issue=1 |pages=1–30 |doi=10.1300/j056v13n01_01 |issn=0890-7064|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

In 2006, the organization changed its name from the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association to the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH).<ref name="Fraser_2015" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Cole |first=Althea |date=March 10, 2024 |title=Poor standards of trans health care threaten trans health |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/1046937072 |access-date=August 25, 2024 |work=The Gazette |page=C10 |volume=142 |issue=61}}</ref> In 2007, Stephen Whittle became the first transgender president of the organization.<ref name="Riggs_2019" />

In 2010, WPATH published the "depath statement", urging the "depsychopathologisation of gender variance worldwide" by governments and medical bodies.<ref name="Fraser_2015" /><ref>{{Cite press release |title=WPATH "depath statement" |date=May 26, 2010 |publisher=WPATH |url=https://amo_hub_content.s3.amazonaws.com/Association140/files/de-psychopathologisation%205-26-10%20on%20letterhead.pdf}}</ref> Shortly after, it released the "Identity Recognition Statement",<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=de Graaf |first1=Nastasja M |last2=Carmichael |first2=Polly |date=2019 |title=Reflections on emerging trends in clinical work with gender diverse children and adolescents |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1359104518812924 |journal=Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry |volume=24 |issue=2 |pages=353–364 |doi=10.1177/1359104518812924 |issn=1359-1045 |pmid=30482053 |access-date=August 27, 2024 |archive-date=September 5, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240905040606/https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1359104518812924 |url-status=live|url-access=subscription }}</ref> urging governmental and medical bodies to endorse gender self-identification and no longer require surgery or sterilization as a prerequisite.<ref name="Fraser_2015" />

The SOC 7, published in 2011, was more evidence-based than the previous versions and the 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.<ref name="Riggs_2019" /><ref name="Fraser_2015" /> Differences between the sixth and seventh versions were significant, with the latter one including gender-affirming care in female-to-male persons.<ref name="Selvaggi_2012" />

The updated SOC also made significant departures from previous versions,<ref name="Selvaggi_2012" /> such as being the first version to include references, changes in guidelines so that not everyone with gender concerns required a diagnosis,<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Dickey |first1=Lore |url=https://content.apa.org/books/15959-017 |title=Handbook of sexual orientation and gender diversity in counseling and psychotherapy. |last2=Singh |first2=Anneliese A. |date=2017 |publisher=American Psychological Association |isbn=978-1-4338-2306-0 |editor-last=DeBord |editor-first=Kurt A. |location=Washington |pages=417–438 |chapter=Physical health concerns related to medical transitions for transgender and gender nonconforming clients |doi=10.1037/15959-017 |access-date=August 27, 2024 |editor-last2=Fischer |editor-first2=Ann R. |editor-last3=Bieschke |editor-first3=Kathleen J. |editor-last4=Perez |editor-first4=Ruperto M. |archive-date=September 5, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240905040553/https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2016-17636-017 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Mallory |first1=Allen |last2=Brown |first2=Jennifer |last3=Conner |first3=Stacy |last4=Henry |first4=Una |date=2017 |title=Finding What Works: New Clinicians' Use of Standards of Care with Transgender Clients |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01926187.2016.1223563 |journal=The American Journal of Family Therapy |volume=45 |issue=1 |pages=27–36 |doi=10.1080/01926187.2016.1223563 |issn=0192-6187 |access-date=August 27, 2024 |archive-date=September 5, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240905040557/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01926187.2016.1223563 |url-status=live|url-access=subscription }}</ref> replacing the requirement of the real-life test and psychotherapy prior to hormone treatment or surgery with "persistent well-documented gender dysphoria",<ref name="Amengual_2022" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Meyer |first=Walter J. |date=July 20, 2009 |title=World Professional Association for Transgender Health's Standards of Care Requirements of Hormone Therapy for Adults with Gender Identity Disorder |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15532730903008065 |journal=International Journal of Transgenderism |volume=11 |issue=2 |pages=127–132 |doi=10.1080/15532730903008065 |issn=1553-2739 |access-date=August 27, 2024 |archive-date=February 9, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240209200902/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15532730903008065 |url-status=live|url-access=subscription }}</ref> criteria for hysterectomy or orchiectomy treatment,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Colebunders |first1=Britt |last2=De Cuypere |first2=Griet |last3=Monstrey |first3=Stan |date=October 2, 2015 |title=New Criteria for Sex Reassignment Surgery: WPATH Standards of Care, Version 7, Revisited |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15532739.2015.1081086 |journal=International Journal of Transgenderism |volume=16 |issue=4 |pages=222–233 |doi=10.1080/15532739.2015.1081086 |issn=1553-2739 |access-date=August 27, 2024 |archive-date=April 10, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240410165728/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15532739.2015.1081086 |url-status=live|url-access=subscription }}</ref> and an expansion of the effects of hormone therapy.<ref name="Selvaggi_2012" /> WPATH acknowledged the importance and changes in the seventh SOC, saying that "Changes in this version are based upon significant cultural shifts, advances in clinical knowledge, and appreciation of the many health care issues that can arise for transsexual, transgender, and gender nonconforming people beyond hormone therapy and surgery".<ref name="WPATH-SOC-7-2012" />

In 2022, the current edition, Standards of Care 8, was published.<ref name="SOC8" /> The guidelines note that the complexity of the assessment process may differ from patient to patient, based on the type of gender-affirming care requested and the specific characteristics of the patient.<ref name="Amengual_2022" /> The updates to the SOC shifted the ethical focus of evaluations toward one of shared decision-making and informed consent by removing the need for a second letter from a mental health professional<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Wu |first1=Catherine A. |last2=Keuroghlian |first2=Alex S. |date=March 1, 2023 |title=Moving Beyond Psychiatric Gatekeeping for Gender-Affirming Surgery |url=https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/fullarticle/2799696 |journal=JAMA Surgery |volume=158 |issue=3 |pages=231–232 |doi=10.1001/jamasurg.2022.5828 |issn=2168-6254 |pmid=36515959 |access-date=August 27, 2024 |archive-date=August 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240827014212/https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/fullarticle/2799696 |url-status=live|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name="Poteat_2023">{{Cite journal |last1=Poteat |first1=Tonia |last2=Davis |first2=Andrew M. |last3=Gonzalez |first3=Alex |date=June 6, 2023 |title=Standards of Care for Transgender and Gender Diverse People |url=https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2805345 |journal=JAMA |volume=329 |issue=21 |pages=1872–1874 |doi=10.1001/jama.2023.8121 |issn=0098-7484 |pmid=37200007 |access-date=August 27, 2024 |archive-date=August 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240827014207/https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2805345 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref> and adding the requirement that the provider must have a doctoral-level degree.<ref name="SOC8" /><ref name="Amengual_2022" /> The new edition introduced the term gender incongruence<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Patel |first1=Ashraf A. |last2=Marquez |first2=Jessica L. |last3=Agarwal |first3=Cori A. |last4=Gallagher |first4=Sidhbh |last5=Schechter |first5=Loren S. |date=November 7, 2023 |title=A Summary of WPATH Standards of Care 8 th Edition for Gender Affirming Plastic Surgery |url=https://journals.lww.com/10.1097/PRS.0000000000011192 |journal=Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery |volume=154 |issue=5 |pages=1063e–1064e |doi=10.1097/PRS.0000000000011192 |issn=0032-1052 |pmid=37943690 |access-date=August 27, 2024 |archive-date=September 5, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240905040604/https://journals.lww.com/plasreconsurg/citation/9900/a_summary_of_wpath_standards_of_care_8_th_edition.2192.aspx |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref> and dealt with the treatment of adolescents.<ref name="Poteat_2023" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Leibowitz |first=Scott F. |date=2023 |title=Assessment of Transgender and Gender-Diverse Adolescents |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1056499323000470 |journal=Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America |volume=32 |issue=4 |pages=707–718 |doi=10.1016/j.chc.2023.05.009 |pmid=37739629 |access-date=August 27, 2024 |archive-date=July 10, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240710145503/https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1056499323000470 |url-status=live|url-access=subscription }}</ref> WPATH commissioned a series of reviews to support the development of SOC 8 from various research organizations and retained the publishing rights to the contracted research to support the guidelines,<ref name="econsoc8" /><ref name="bmj" /> which were developed by a multidisciplinary committee of experts, building on previous versions and using the Delphi method.<ref>{{cite press release |author=World Professional Association for Transgender Health |date=September 15, 2022 |title=World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) Releases the Standards of Care for the Health of Transgender and Gender Diverse People, Version 8 |url=https://www.wpath.org/media/cms/Documents/SOC%20v8/SOC%208%20Press%20Release%20FINAL.pdf |access-date=September 18, 2022 |archive-date=September 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920171115/https://www.wpath.org/media/cms/Documents/SOC%20v8/SOC%208%20Press%20Release%20FINAL.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="econsoc8">{{cite news |date=June 27, 2024 |title=Research into trans medicine has been manipulated |url=https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/06/27/research-into-trans-medicine-has-been-manipulated |access-date=November 22, 2024 |newspaper=The Economist |archive-date=November 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241119195101/https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/06/27/research-into-trans-medicine-has-been-manipulated |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="bmj">{{cite news |last1=Block |first1=Jennifer |date=October 30, 2024 |title=Dispute arises over World Professional Association for Transgender Health's involvement in WHO's trans health guideline |url=https://www.bmj.com/content/387/bmj.q2227 |access-date=November 22, 2024 |journal=BMJ |pages=q2227 |doi=10.1136/bmj.q2227}}</ref>

According to ''The New York Times'', the legal proceedings leading up to the Supreme Court case of United States v. Skrmetti revealed that WPATH had itself allowed the goal of fending off legislative bans on gender-affirming care to dictate some of its recommendations.<ref name="g452">{{cite web | last=Confessore | first=Nicholas | title=U.S. v. Skrmetti: How the Transgender Rights Movement Bet on the Supreme Court and Lost | website=The New York Times | date=June 19, 2025 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/19/magazine/scotus-transgender-care-tennessee-skrmetti.html | access-date=July 6, 2025}}</ref> For example, internal documents argued, in relation to age minimums, that "specific listings of ages, under 18, will result in devastating legislation for trans care". Shortly after the release of SOC 8, age minimums for hormonal treatments and for most gender-related surgeries were deleted.<ref name="g452" /><ref name="u630">{{cite web | last=Ghorayshi | first=Azeen | title=More Trans Teens Are Choosing 'Top Surgery' | website=The New York Times | date=September 26, 2022 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/26/health/top-surgery-transgender-teenagers.html | access-date=July 8, 2025}}</ref><ref name="g844">{{cite web | last=Ghorayshi | first=Azeen | title=Biden Officials Pressed Trans Medical Group to Change Guidelines for Minors, Court Filings Show | website=The New York Times | date=June 25, 2024 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/25/health/transgender-minors-surgeries.html | access-date=July 8, 2025}}</ref> Internal documents also argued for the avoidance of phrases like "insufficient evidence" and "limited data" in favor of using terminology like "medical necessity" and "evidence based", citing ongoing court battles to restrict gender-affirming care and the effect such language could have on them.<ref name="g452" />

In February 2026, WPATH filed a lawsuit against the Federal Trade Commission in the D.C. District Court. WPATH alleged that the FTC, which had been investigating the organization as well as the Endocrine Society, was not engaged in consumer protection but rather intimidation and chilling of speech related to transgender health care. In May, Judge James Boasberg granted the preliminary injunctions requested by both organizations, ruling that the investigations were likely motivated by "hostility" and "animus" toward gender-affirming care.<ref name="adv-8may2026">{{cite news |last1=Wiggins |first1=Christopher |title=Federal judge blocks FTC probes into trans medicine groups, citing 'extensive evidence of animus' |url=https://www.advocate.com/health/transgender-health/wpath-endocrine-society-legal-victory |access-date=May 10, 2026 |work=The Advocate |date=May 8, 2026}}</ref><ref name="cl-18feb2026">{{cite web |title=World Professional Association for Transgender Health v. Federal Trade Commission (1:26-cv-00532) |url=https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72295218/world-professional-association-for-transgender-health-v-federal-trade/ |website=CourtListener |access-date=May 10, 2026 |date=February 18, 2026}}</ref>

==Organization== ===Membership=== Professionals within WPATH 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 receiving voting privileges.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Membership Information |url=https://www.wpath.org/MembershipInfo |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612143455/https://www.wpath.org/MembershipInfo |archive-date=June 12, 2018 |access-date=June 9, 2018 |website=WPATH}}</ref> The organization is funded by its membership and by donations and grants from non-commercial sources.<ref>{{Cite web |title=WPATH |url=https://www.wpath.org/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201103022732/https://www.wpath.org/ |archive-date=November 3, 2020 |access-date=June 9, 2018}}</ref> The president of the organization is Asa Radix, who replaced Marci Bowers in October 2024.<ref>{{cite web |date=October 1, 2024 |title=WPATH Announces New President |url=https://www.wpath.org/about/EC-BOD |access-date=November 22, 2024 |website=WPATH World Professional Association for Transgender Health |archive-date=October 4, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181004225823/https://www.wpath.org/about/EC-BOD |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Regional organizations=== WPATH is affiliated with several regional organizations to inform local guidance in their respective areas of the world.<ref>{{Cite thesis |last=Cross |first=Alexander |title=The WPATH Standards of Care: Their History and Importance in Advocating for Transgender Health |date=2023 |access-date=August 25, 2024 |degree=BA |publisher=University of Maine |url=https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/honors/800/ |archive-date=August 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240826004739/https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/honors/800/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wpath.org/resources/regional-organizations|title=Regional Organizations|access-date=October 22, 2024|website=WPATH|archive-date=October 2, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241002055618/https://www.wpath.org/resources/regional-organizations|url-status=live}}</ref> * ''Asian Professional Association for Transgender Health'' (AsiaPATH)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.asiapath.org/about/|title=About – AsiaPATH|access-date=October 22, 2024|website=AsiaPATH}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://wpath.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/FINAL-Statement-Regarding-Informed-Consent-Court-Case_Dec-16-2020.docx.pdf|title=WPATH, EPATH, USPATH, AsiaPATH, CPATH, AusPATH, PATHA Response to Bell v. Tavistock Judgment|date=December 16, 2020|website=WPATH}}</ref> * ''Australian Professional Association for Trans Health'' (AusPATH)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://auspath.org.au/|title=AusPath|access-date=October 22, 2024|website=AusPATH|archive-date=October 7, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007234932/https://auspath.org.au/|url-status=live}}</ref> * ''European Professional Association for Transgender Health'' (EPATH)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://epath.eu/about-us/who-are-we/|title=The European Professional Association for Transgender Health – About|access-date=October 22, 2024|website=EPATH}}</ref> * ''United States Professional Association for Transgender Health'' (USPATH)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wpath.org/uspath|title=USPATH|access-date=October 22, 2024|archive-date=October 2, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241002055646/https://www.wpath.org/uspath|url-status=live}}</ref> * ''Professional Association for Transgender Health Aotearoa'' (PATHA), serving New Zealand<ref>{{cite web|url=https://patha.nz/History|title=Professional Association for Transgender Health Aotearoa History|access-date=October 22, 2024|website=PATHA|archive-date=November 18, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241118065808/https://patha.nz/History|url-status=live}}</ref> * ''Canadian Professional Association for Transgender Health'' (CPATH)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cpath.ca/en/about-cpath/|title=Canadian Professional Association for Transgender Health|access-date=September 5, 2025|website=CPATH}}</ref> * ''Professional Association for Transgender Health South Africa'' (PATHSA)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pathsa.org.za/|title= Professional Association for Transgender Health South Africa|access-date=January 9, 2026|website=PATHSA}}</ref> * ''Indian Professional Association for Transgender Health'' (IPATH)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.athionline.com/ipath|title=Association for Transgender Health in India – IPATH|access-date=January 9, 2026|website=Association for Transgender Health in India}}</ref>

===TPATH=== In addition to regional organizations, WPATH also subsumes the Transgender Professional Association for Transgender Health, which is a global transgender healthcare organization that specifically represents the transgender healthcare providers within WPATH and its regional organizations.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tpathealth.org/about/history/|title=Transgender Professional Association for Transgender Health|access-date=January 9, 2026|website=TPATH Health}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{Creative Commons text attribution notice|cc=by3|url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1155/2012/581712|authors=|vrt=|URL=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1155/2012/581712|from this source=The 2011 WPATH Standards of Care and Penile Reconstruction in Female-to-Male Transsexual Individuals, Advances in Urology, 2012|author=Gennaro Selvaggi, Cecilia Dhejne, Mikael Landen, Anna Elanderbob}}

{{Creative Commons text attribution notice|cc=by4|url=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1006024/full|authors=Travis Amengual, Kaitlyn Kunstman, R. Brett Lloyd, Aron Janssen, Annie B. Wescott|vrt=|from this source=The 2011 WPATH Standards of Care and Penile Reconstruction in Female-to-Male Transsexual Individuals, Advances in Urology, 2012|author=Travis Amengual, Kaitlyn Kunstman, R. Brett Lloyd, Aron Janssen, Annie B. Wescott|URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1006024/full}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Transgender health care Category:International LGBTQ organizations Category:LGBTQ professional associations Category:Transgender organizations in the United States Category:International medical and health organizations Category:Non-profit organizations based in Illinois Category:Organizations established in 1979 Category:Transgender studies Category:1979 establishments