Podcast #222: Journalist John Colapinto on the Tragic Tale of David Reimer, The Boy Who Was Raised a Girl
A cautionary tale of what can happen when you mess with a child's gender identity.
Quillette associate editor Iona Italia interviews journalist John Colapinto, whose book As Nature Made Him: The Boy Who Was Raised as a Girl chronicles the life of David Reimer, a Canadian man who was born as Bruce Reimer and subjected to a controversial and ultimately unsuccessful gender-reassignment following a botched circumcision.
The book delves into the psychological, ethical, and medical complexities of David's life, from the surgical accident and subsequent interventions to his struggle with his gender identity. It also critiques Dr. John Money's theories on gender plasticity and the ethics of imposing a gender identity on a child unable to provide informed consent.
