Parental Approval

Together with the Hopkins family team, John Money successfully convinced the Reimers that the gender reassignment surgery would be in David’s best interest. The couple were barely adults at the time and had little knowledge of gender progression. This made Money’s task of convincing them even easier.

In addition to the surgery, the psychologist also prescribed estrogen supplements to help feminize his body. He argued that David would be happier living as a female with functioning genitalia, even though he would be sterile. Growing up, the two children would share genes, family environments, and social lives, but they would develop into different genders.