David Reimer

High school (ages 12+)
Human Body

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/david-reimer

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was David Reimer born?August 22, 1965
2. Where was David Reimer born?Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
3. What is the medical intervention?Underwent surgical sex reassignment and hormonal therapy in infancy
4. What is the reclaimed identity?Began living as male (David) at age 15, challenging earlier medical conclusions
5. What happened to David Reimer when he was a baby?David lost his penis because of a medical mistake. Doctors decided to raise him as a girl named Brenda.
6. Why did doctors change David's gender?A psychologist believed gender could be taught, so they performed surgery and gave hormones to make him look like a girl.

Gender Identity: An individual's internal sense of being male, female, both, neither, or somewhere else along the gender spectrum.
Nature vs. Nurture: A debate about whether human traits and behaviors are primarily determined by genetics (nature) or environment (nurture).
Surgical Sex Reassignment: Medical procedures to alter a person's physical characteristics to align with their gender identity.
Social Construct: An idea or concept that exists because society as a whole agrees that it exists, rather than being based on objective reality.