World Medical Association approves new transgender guidelines

The World Medical Association has adopted new transgender guidelines for doctors. At its annual general assembly in Moscow on the 18th of October, 2015, nearly 60 national medical associations agreed that affordable transgender healthcare should be made available to everyone who experiences gender dysphoria.

The guidelines, which were proposed by the German Medical Association, aim to increase doctors’ knowledge and sensitivity towards transgender people and their unique health issues.

They also explicitly rejected all forms of coercive treatment or forced behavior modification.

The WMA acknowledged that there were cultural sensitivities to these issues in some parts of the world, but stressed that cultural, political or religious considerations must not take precedence over the rights, health and well-being of transgender people.

WMA President Sir Michael Marmot said: ‘We condemn all forms of discrimination, stigmatization and violence against transgender people and want to see appropriate legal measures to protect their equal civil rights.

‘And as role models, physicians should use their medical knowledge to combat prejudice in this respect. We would like national medical associations to take action to identify and combat barriers to care.

‘It is important that there is appropriate expert training for physicians at all stages of their career to enable them to recognize and avoid discriminatory practices, and to provide appropriate and sensitive transgender healthcare.’