FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 16, 2010
WPATH Identity Recognition Statement
The Board of Directors of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), in the interest of the health and well-being of transgender and transsexual people world-wide, issued today, 16 June 2010, the following identity recognition statement:
No person should have to undergo surgery or accept sterilization as a condition of identity recognition. If a sex marker is required on an identity document, that marker could recognize the person's lived gender, regardless of reproductive capacity. The WPATH Board of Directors urges governments and other authoritative bodies to move to eliminate requirements for identity recognition that require surgical procedures. To download a copy of this statement, please click here.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 26, 2010
WPATH De-Psychopatholisation Statement
The World Professional Association for Transgender Health has prepared and released a statement urging the de-psychopathologisation of gender variance worldwide. The statement is as follows:
The WPATH Board of Directors strongly urges the de-psychopathologisation of gender variance worldwide. The expression of gender characteristics, including identities, that are not stereotypically associated with one's assigned sex at birth is a common and culturally-diverse human phenomenon which should not be judged as inherently pathological or negative. The psychopathologlisation of gender characteristics and identities reinforces or can prompt stigma, making prejudice and discrimination more likely, rendering transgender and transsexual people more vulnerable to social and legal marginalisation and exclusion, and increasing risks to mental and physical well-being. WPATH urges governmental and medical professional organizations to review their policies and practices to eliminate stigma toward gender-variant people." To download a copy of this statement, please click on this link.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 25, 2010
WPATH Reaction to DSM-V Criteria for Gender Incongruence
The WPATH Board of Directors and the Chairs of the DSM Consensus Building Process Work Group of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, would like to thank all those who contributed their expertise to draft our formal response to the proposed DSM 5 Criteria for Gender Incongruence. To view WPATH's response, please click on this link.
Clarification on Medical Necessity for Sex Reassignment Surgery
In response to questions about medical necessity of transgender treatments and sex reassignment surgery, particularly in the U.S.A., where insurance exclusions often prevent access to health care for transgender people, the WPATH Board of Directors has issued a clarification statement which is now available on the Resources page of the WPATH web site. Questions about this statement may be directed to the WPATH office, or to Mr. Jamison Green, Chair of the Public Policy, Advocacy & Liaison Committee of the Board. A parallel statement for international use (without the U.S. insurance focus, and reflecting ICD-10, to which the U.S.A. is not a signatory) is also under development.Click Here to Download a copy of the Clarification on Medical Necessity for Sex Reassignment Surgery.