Today we are covering one of the most heartbreaking and bizarre cases in modern medical history. The story of David Reimer has been used as both a platform for reform around acceptance of Intersex identities and as a weapon against transgender children transitioning at a young age. What is more interesting though is that David Reimer was neither intersex nor transgender, yet his body and his legacy have been used as an exhibition for the rest of the world. Nothing better encapsulates the toxicity of social standards around masculinity and femininity than this story. And while Reimer was not part of the LGBTQ+ community, his case and his abuse shed light on the many harms done against queer individuals. So, let us start at the beginning of what would become known as the “John/Joan” case. On August 22, 1965, Ron and Janet Reimer welcomed two twin boys named Bruce and Brian. For the most part, the twins were healthy, yet around six months it became evident that they were both suffering from a condition known as phimosis. This is when the foreskin on the penis stretches over the glands and cannot be pulled back which can cause some pain during sex or urination. A local doctor arranged to perform a circumcision on the twins and began with Bruce. However, rather than using the standard tool of the scalpel, the doctor used the unconventional method of cauterization. A process of burning off the unnecessary tissue that resulted in Bruce’s circumcision being botched and extreme damage being done to the penis. There is no record of how bad the damage truly was, though writers have insisted it was destroyed beyond repair. Reimer’s biographer John Colapinto has implied the penis was either severed or burned beyond function. The author wrote that one psychiatrist summurized the extent of the injury this way, “He will be unable to consummate marriage or have normal heterosexual relations; he will have to recognize that he is incomplete, physically defective, and that he must live apart….” There has been some challenge to the authenticity of this previous statement as it was retold by Reimer’s parents more than 30 years later.  Yet the sentiment in the psychiatrist’s observation towards those considered “defective” still lingers. Though Bruce certainly would not have had an easy road ahead, to imply he would be incomplete and live apart showed the bias against Intersex and Trans individuals. While the stressor on his inability to have ‘normal heterosexual relations’ categorized non-heteronormative relationships as inferior. From this analysis, both the parents and the general practitioner agreed that they needed outside help. The frantic parents spent the next year and a half looking for a solution for their young child. Meanwhile, Bruce’s brother Brian was not given a circumcision and his phimosis healed naturally. Just as it seemed they were running out of options, Ron and Janet saw a Canadian News Segment that featured renowned sexologist, John Money. Money had spent the previous 15 years establishing his reputation as a psychologist and sexologist in the United States. Born in New Zealand, Money had graduated with a double masters from the Victoria University of Wellington. Shortly after his graduation, John took a position on staff at the University of Otago. This was the first time that he crossed a boundary as a professional, using his authority as a psychologist to justify overriding the rights of another individual. It is not clear if Money believed his position and education gave him this level of authority, or if he was simply driven by his own questions and understanding. Whatever the reason, when famed author Janet Frame studied under him in 1945, she submitted an essay that described thoughts of suicide. Money had Frame committed, which resulted in 8 years of confinement and a near lobotomy for the young writer. [6] The hardships of Janet Frame cannot be fully attributed to Jo...