World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) pathologizes intersex people in its Standards of Care, version 7
Re: The World Professional Association for Transgender Health: Standards of Care for the Health of Transsexual, Transgender, and Gender Nonconforming People, 7th version, wpath.org
In an act of breathtaking hypocrisy the World Professional Association of Transgender Health (WPATH) has released pathologizing guidelines for the treatment of intersex children and adults who reject their birth assignments.
WPATH has for many years been considering the effects of pathologizing language on the mental health of trans individuals. The diagnosis of Gender Identity Disorder (GID) was considered especially unhelpful as it categorized their natural differences as a mental illness.
In an effort to move away from concepts that contributed to the problems rather than easing them WPATH has revised its Standards of Care (SOC) to include less pathologizing language and treatments that focus on medical needs rather than pathologizing and characterizing trans as a mental health problem.
With breathtaking arrogance and hypocrisy, WPATH then reclassifies intersex as people with Disorders of Sex Development (DSD) and see those of us who reject our birth assignments as being in need of the counsel of a mental health professional.
WPATH does this without the input or inclusion of a single intersex person. Indeed the WPATH membership requirements preclude being intersex as a reason for belonging to this organization.
Not only are intersex people excluded from membership of WPATH, we are pathologized without our contribution and without WPATH seeking any intersex input whatsoever.
WPATH would not formulate a Standards of Care for trans people without considerable trans inclusion and widespread trans consultation. That WPATH is prepared to do what they have done to intersex people shows the complete misunderstanding that these trans professionals have in respect of intersex and their disregard for both our rights and for our wellbeing.
Gina Wilson
President, Organisation Intersex International Australia Limited
Sydney, Australia
oii.org.au
oiiaustralia@bigpond.com
+61 (0)418 290 336
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A well written story Gina. I’m from Minnesota and have gone to the University of Minnesota where the head of WPATH is based. I know him personally and in fact like him very much. But having said this I found that many of the people working at the UM do not like the word Intersex at all. When I pointed out the fact that my right underdeveloped testis turned out to be an ovary, I was mocked by a medical doctor. She told me all most every trans person coming to the clinic wanted to be checked for being intersex.
She knew I had testicular/ovarian cancer, she knew I I had two teratoma that had arms legs, eyes and such. In the comments she wrote I have hypogonadism.
Oh I’m also transsexual. She knew I had childhood genital surgeries and two surgeries at the Mayo Clinic that list my cancer as ovarian in nature.
Yes I do think of myself as female, I’m also male, I’m both and nothing without the other.
Hannah
Hannah, thanks, for this article. There are trans people outside, who do not share the ideologies from WPATH.
Best, Kim
(Germany)
One can only agree with the tone of this report . The audacious hypocracy with which WPATH presume to pontificate on matters relating to transsexual and intersex matters is amazing. As a woman of transsexual history I have joined my peers in frequently complaining and rejecting the transgender dogma and umbrella and their intention to erase Transsexualism in order to justify their proclivities. I must say I am surprised that you didn’t see this sort of thing coming. It will only get worse.