HBIGDA was established in 1978 by Dr. Harry Benjamin, a gerontologist and endocrinologist highly regarded for his clinical work on transsexualism. HBIDGA was founded in order to promote communication and discourse among professionals involved in the field of transgender health. The other founding members of HBIGDA are Paul A. Walker, Richard Green, Jack C. Berger, Donald R. Laub, Charles L. Reynolds Jr., Leo Wollman and Jude Patton. Past presidents of the association include Leah Schaefer (1991-1995), Alice Webb (1999) and Eli Coleman (1999-2003).

HBIGDA sponsors professional conferences, establishes standards of care in treating gender identity disorders, distributes information, and offers ethical guidelines to professionals. In 1979, HBIGDA issued the first version of the Standards of Care for Gender Identity Disorders (SOC). These guidelines were created to aid professionals in the treatment of people with gender identity disorders. The SOC are in a constant development and updated as new research is presented. The seventh version was released in 2011 and is titled Standards of Care (SOC) for the Health of Transsexual, Transgender, and Gender Nonconforming People. HBIGDA also publishes The International Journal of Transgenderism.

In 2006, HBIDGA was renamed The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). The purpose of this language change was to eliminate the term "gender dysphoria" and to put an emphasis on overall health and well-being instead of illness.

References

1. Allee, Kegan M. (2009). Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association. In J. O Brien (Ed.), Encyclopedia of gender and society, volume 1, (p. 402). SAGE,
2. Hall, J. (2007). 1978: Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association is founded. In L. Faderman (Ed.), Great Events from History: Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Events, 1848-2008, Vol. 1. (pp.320-322) Pasadena. CA: Salem Press.