On the left is David Reimer, and on the right is Brenda Reimer. They are the same person. As a child, he was the victim of a botched circumcision, and on the advice of a doctor, his family decided to have him castrated and raised as a girl. For years, doctors presented the case as proof that a child’s gender identity could be shaped by upbringing. But he never felt like a girl. He rejected dresses, hated being treated that way, and struggled deeply with the identity forced on him. At 14, his parents finally told him the truth. A year later, he chose to live as a boy again and took the name David. He later married and became a stepfather, but the trauma followed him for the rest of his life. In 2004, David Reimer died by suicide at 38.
