As Nature Made Him

“The irony was that Ron and Janet Reimer’s life together had begun with such special promise. That it would survive its trials is attributable perhaps in part to their shared heritage in an ethnic and religious background virtually defined by the hardiness of its people in the face of suffering.” 

Colapinto begins his story with Janet’s and Ron’s upbringings. By focusing on, and returning constantly to, the family dynamic and tradition from which the Reimers come, Colapinto acknowledges that family history and environment always plays a role in a child’s upbringing.

“At the Mayo Clinic the baby was examined by a team of doctors. They recommended that Bruce have an artificial phallus constructed at some time shortly before he began school.” 

This initial recommendation matters because it diverges from John Money’s suggestion. If Money’s word had not spread, through the media, to Canadian television, then Bruce’s sex reassignment surgery might never have happened. 

“It was in his first published papers at Johns Hopkins that Money generalized the theory of psychosexual neutrality at birth from hermaphrodites to include all children, even those born without genital irregularity.” 

Money’s overall theory, supported by the medical practice and significant funding, spreads quickly once he gains prestige in his field. This basic theory is the same one that he defends for the next decades. It is the theory that Brenda/David’s case is intended to prove.