The WPATH Files is a collection of internal forum posts and recorded meetings from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). The files were released by Environmental Progress, an advocacy organisation. Mia Hughes (Environmental Progress) prepared an executive summary and a detailed analysis document.
The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) is considered the global authority on transgender health. Their mission is to "promote evidence based care, education, research, public policy, and respect in transgender health."
The release of The WPATH Files demonstrates that evidence is not at the core of their medical practice. The files have revealed WPATH to be an organisation with links to questionable fetish websites, a cavalier attitude to the health outcomes of patients and an experimental and improvisational approach to medical interventions, which lack the evidence-base required to justify these often irreversible treatments.
Links to Fetish Community
In 2022, feminist news site Reduxx released information linking WPATH and a fetish website called The Eunuch Archives. The WPATH Standards of Care 8 reduced the recommended age for commencing puberty blockers and genital surgeries, and include advice for treating individuals with a eunuch gender identity.
WPATH Informs Australian Guidelines
Many clinical guidelines used in Australia that are endorsed by AusPATH (Australia's Professional Association of Trans Health) (archive link) for the treatment of gender dysphoria are based on WPATH's published Standards of Care. AusPATH endorsed both WPATH Standards of Care (SOC) 7 and SOC 8.
The Australian Standards of Care and Treatment Guidelines for Trans and Gender Diverse Children and Adolescents, created by the Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne. These standards adopt and endorse the WPATH standards of care. The introduction notes that
...the recommendations made in this document are based primarily on clinician consensus, along with previously published standards of care from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), treatment guidelines and position statements...
UPDATE
AusPATH have taken down their website auspath.org.au
An old version of their site is available at auspath.org
Impact on Children
Australia's reliance on WPATH is particularly troubling when applied to the care of gender-questioning children and adolescents through the promotion of the affirmation model.
This treatment model concretises a young person's identity while providing medical treatments that can rob patients of future sexual function and fertility.
Loss of fertility is acknowledged as one of the most serious consequences of gender-affirming care, as such, fertility preservation may be discussed with young patients undergoing these treatments.
However, children and adolescents are often unable to comprehend the gravity and lifelong consequences of these irreversible medical decisions made in childhood. Medical treatments for gender-questioning young people that result in lifelong sexual dysfunction and/or sterility must be abolished.
Individuals may later regret medicalisation, and choose to detransition, leaving them with permanently altered bodies.
Evidence is Lacking
One of WRNA's core values is evidence. There is now ample evidence that WPATH (and by extension, AusPATH) are not acting based on evidence.
WRNA condemns any and all paediatric treatments that are not evidence-based. Evidence shows that many gender-questioning young people will grow up to be homosexual or bisexual adults if not medically affirmed in their gender identity.
Access the WPATH Files here.
For more information about gender medicine in Australia visit Gender Clinic News and Gender Question