Destigmatization of this diagnosis was a major milestone for transgender individuals in America, and further strides were achieved when a government appeals board in 2014 ruled that Medicare must cover surgery for gender transitions, overturning a policy that had been in place since the 1980s. Given that the surgeries are no longer experimental in nature and that the updated WPATH standards of care reference many studies which have proven the beneficial effects of sex reassignment therapy for transgender individuals, this ruling was a long time coming.