The BrendaDavid Reimer Case:

1
The Brenda/David Reimer Case

• Colapintos As Nature Made Him
• Rhet 3108

2
Nova Sex Unknown

• How does the twins case become a medical
  debate? What numerous issues does it seem to shed
  light on?
• What does Janet write to Money and how are these
  letters used by Money?
• What did the rest of the scientific community
  believe about the Reimer case?
• Why did the scientists not question it?
• Why were Gorskis studies of the hypothalamus
  region of rats inconclusive?
• How might Swaabs transexual brain study be more
  promising? Why was it inconclusive?
• What purpose does Fausto-Sterling serve in the
  video?
• How does the video represent Money and his work?

3
Colapintos As Nature Made Him

• What are the signs that mark Colapintos book as
  a journalistic investigation?
• How is David Reimer described in the second
  paragraph of the preface?
• Why might David use the 2nd-person pronoun (you)
  when talking of his life as Brenda?
• What is the purpose of each characters
  backstory? How are Janet and Ron represented?
• How is Money represented?
• What was the psychological and emotional
  assessment of Bruces future before surgery (page
  15-16)?

4
Passages to Consider

• Ethics and experimentation page 67
• Zugers homosexuality study page 73
• Gender as identity page 81
• Enforcing gender identity page 83, 86
• Brendas trauma as a girl page 123
• Cantors assessment of dismal failure page
  143
• Brenda staging/performing her identity page 148
• Brendas two dreams of Money page 153
• Moneys use of pornography in medical education
  page 156
• Freuds Oedipus complex page 158-60

5

• What are the milestones of Brendas
  transformation into David? What do they signify?
  How are they milestones?
• Clothes, confession to Winter, name,
  phalloplasties, dating, etc.
• How does the book address the various ways people
  sought to protect or care for Brenda/David?
• BBC documentary, his suicide attempt, etc.
• What is the purpose in the discussion of the
  intersex movement and their work to change
  medical protocols?
• What impression does the book give us of the
  intersexed woman Paula?
• What is ironic about Moneys dissertation topic?