The Experiment and The Control

Gender reassignment procedures are usually performed on legal-age people who have made an informed decision. However, David Reimer would be the first infant to undergo the process. It would also be the second reassignment performed on a typical male infant with no gender differentiation abnormalities.

At almost two years old, David underwent the process. It involved fully castrating him by surgically removing his testes. The remaining skin was then used to fashion a rudimentary vulva. This marked the completion of the first step, but the more challenging part was yet to come. David was supposed to be raised as a girl, and his brother would be the control.