Horizon Season 2004 Episode 18 Dr Money and the Boy with No Penis

In the 2004 episode of the popular science documentary series Horizon, entitled "Dr Money and the Boy with No Penis," we are introduced to a controversial case study which raises serious questions about the ethics of medical intervention and gender identity.

The episode centers around the story of David Reimer, a Canadian man who was born as a boy but was raised as a girl after a botched circumcision procedure resulted in the loss of his penis. Reimer's parents, desperate to help their son, turned to Dr John Money, a renowned sexologist who advocated for the concept of gender as a social construct.

Money recommended that Reimer be raised as a girl, undergoing hormone therapy and other medical interventions in an attempt to create a female identity for him. For several years, Reimer was known as Brenda and lived as a girl, but the experiment ultimately failed, and Reimer eventually transitioned back to living as a man.

The episode explores the ethical considerations surrounding this controversial case study, as well as the long-term psychological effects on Reimer of being raised as a girl. Money's theories about gender and sexual identity are also examined, and the episode asks whether or not the medical community should continue to follow his recommendations regarding gender reassignment and identity.

Through interviews with Reimer's family members, medical professionals, and psychologists, "Dr Money and the Boy with No Penis" delivers a thought-provoking and emotionally charged exploration of one of the most notorious cases in the history of gender and sexuality research.