WPATH

WPATH stands for the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. It is an international nonprofit professional organization devoted to transgender health, education, research, and policy. The association was founded in 1979 as the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association (HBIGDA) and adopted its current name in 2007. Its mission is to promote evidence-based care and reduce health disparities affecting transgender and gender-diverse people by fostering professional standards and knowledge sharing.

WPATH develops guidelines for clinical care, most notably the Standards of Care for the Health of Transgender, Transsexual, and Gender-Nonconforming People. These guidelines provide criteria and recommendations across medical, mental health, and social aspects of transition, and they are intended to be adapted to individual patients and evolving evidence. The organization also organizes international conferences, produces educational materials for clinicians, and supports research and collaboration among professionals across regions and disciplines.

Membership is open to professionals from medicine, psychology, psychiatry, social work, nursing, research, and related fields, with regional chapters and a global network. Members engage in education, advocacy, and the advancement of best practices in transgender health. WPATH's work has influenced clinical practice and policy internationally, though the Standards of Care are periodically revised to reflect new evidence and changing standards of practice. Critics have discussed issues such as gatekeeping in past iterations, a topic that WPATH addresses through ongoing revision and emphasis on individualized, patient-centered care.