Born as Bruce Reimer, a botched circumcision at eight months old destroyed his penis. On the advice of psychologist John Money, who believed gender identity was socially constructed (the "nurture" theory), David’s parents had him undergo sex reassignment surgery and raised him as a girl named "Brenda". The Case Study and Reality
Known as the "John/Joan" case, Money publicly reported the reassignment as a success, using it to justify thousands of similar surgeries on infants with atypical genitalia. Reimer, David rar
Behind the scenes, David never identified as female. Throughout his childhood, he resisted feminine roles and suffered from severe gender dysphoria and depression. Born as Bruce Reimer, a botched circumcision at