WPATH Presidential Newsletter - Spring 2024

WPATH Presidential Newsletter - Spring 2024 - from Dr. Marci Bowers

From: "WPATH" <wpath@PROTECTED>

Subject: WPATH Presidential Newsletter - Spring 2024 - from Dr. Marci Bowers

Date: March 8th 2024

Spring 2024 President’s Letter

Dear WPATH Members,

Frustrating as 2023 was for those of us who provide healthcare to gender diverse populations, there is hope for 2024 and beyond. Laced with misinformation and disinformation, opponents of gender diversity find themselves not only on the wrong side of history, but also of scientific merit. Still, it is up to those of us who truly know this population to provide calm and rational explanations for the vast ideological middle and to explain why the evidence does not support those who insist that gender (or genitalia) exist entirely within a rigid binary. It is also vital that our colleagues around the globe remain connected and supportive of WPATH, the global organization for professionals working in transgender health. Going forward, this means participation at the upcoming scientific symposium in Lisbon and involvement in WPATH board duties and leadership, where eligible. We need new voices that can offer a global perspective. Upcoming WPATH elections will be structured so as to support that important goal. What happens in the US reverberates around the world but, as we have seen, what happens globally, affects the environment that we all share.

In the US, I am encouraged by recent re-endorsements of gender affirming care for adolescents by both the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Psychological Association (APA).

It is also heartening to see the February 7 release of the 2022 NCTE survey of 92,239 binary and nonbinary transgender people here in the US, and its conclusion: access to gender affirming care improves lives. Still further, Republican Governor Mike De Wine’s December veto of anti-trans legislation in Ohio gives hope that bi-partisan compassion for the value of gender affirming care is possible. After actually listening to clinicians, parents and trans persons, Governor DeWine formally acknowledged the difficulty in making medical decisions for TGD youth and that those decisions should be made by those who know the needs and feelings of that person– the families and their doctors; not by legislators and politicians.

And finally, despite continued media focus on regret or discontinuation of care, yet another study shows how vanishingly small this outcome remains.

Sadly, Micheal Shellenberger, with his darkly drafted “WPATH Files”, is the latest example of a small group of individuals so fixated on restoring a rigid gender binary that they resort to distortion and fabrications of so-called ‘evidence’. In this case, screen grabs from DocMatter -- a WPATH member-only chat function that allows anyone belonging to WPATH to confidentially discuss clinical, personal or anecdotal matters among colleagues -- were used to construct conspiracy-like mischaracterizations of gender-affirming care. In reality, these are the sticks and broken bottles of journalistic desperation, used to attack us when there is nothing left in their arsenal. The accusations, distorted and preposterous as they are, will not be addressed by WPATH. Needless to say, there is no ‘smoking gun’ in any of the actual communications.

Going forward, DocMatter will remain as a transparent vehicle of communication for WPATH membership, although with the code of conduct reinforced to ensure that WPATH members can continue to engage in the open and robust dialogue that is vital to our work, while also ensuring that their safety and freedom to openly discuss these issues is not further threatened by those who do not respect our members’ privacy.

Returning to a positive note, excitement is building as WPATH approaches its 28^th Scientific Symposium being held September 25 – 30, 2024, in Lisbon, Portugal. We are pleased once again to announce our Scientific co-chairs, Drs. Thomas Satterwhite (USA) and Mujde Ozer (Netherlands). You will notice organizational changes to this year’s symposium which we hope will entice you to remain throughout the entire 5-day program! With the goal of true multi-disciplinary education, the surgeon and surgical team only day will be one day only---with surgical topics of broad appeal punctuating the entire symposium. We ALL need to know what one another are doing. Similarly, the twice daily speaker plenaries will be impactful and strategic as they cover Endocrinology, Psychology, Portuguese trans voices, Intersex, Legal Challenges, European trans care (what we share and where we differ), Non-binary, Surgery, Aging, Urogynecology, Adolescent care, and more… WE SPECIFICALLY NEED SUBMISSIONS IN THESE AREAS OF EXPERTISE, submit your abstracts today! We also need your suggestions for speakers who can deliver.

WPATH 28^th Scientific Symposium Important Dates & Links to Remember:

With transparency, truth and light….

Marci L Bowers, MD

‹ Statement from Marci Bowers, MD, President of WPATH

Index

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