In light of the WHO’s recent proposed development of a guideline on the health of trans and gender-diverse people and our concerns that the proposed health guideline will endorse the medicalisation of gender non-conformity, we have written as part of a coalition to the WHO’s Guidelines Review Committee. Our concerns extend beyond the issue of the membership fo the guideline development group to the process by which the WHO decided the rationale for this health guideline and the focus areas for its consideration.
The Guidelines Review Committee (GRC) was established to oversee the development of WHO guidelines to ensure that they comply with WHO principles and processes including those set out in the Handbook for Guideline Development. We have written to them to request immediate intervention to ensure integrity of WHO guideline development, specifically asking the committee to immediately exercise its oversight to
- Investigate and explain how the WHO determined the focus areas for the development of the trans and gender-diverse people guideline, especially its exclusive focus on gender-affirming care, including hormones;
- Clarify the target audience for this new guideline and unequivocally rule out children, as well as young adults with co-morbidities (such as autism and ADHD) as recipients.
- Clarify the scope of the WHO’s intention to make recommendations about a person’s legal status, in particular the recommendation on self-determined gender;
- Delay the development of this health guideline, pending wider engagement with diverse perspectives and expertise; and,
- Commit to greater transparency and accountability in regards to this matter.
You can read our full letter, below.
