A Boy Without a Penis

The experts had it all wrong, says the beleaguered survivor of a landmark 1960's sex-changes operation

by: Christine Gorman



He was one of a set of infant twin boys when, in 1963, his penis was damaged beyond repair by a circumcision that went awry. After seeking expert advice at Johns Hopkins Medical School, the parents decided that the child's best shot at a normal life was as an anatomically correct woman. The baby was castrated [due to a botched circumcision], and surgeons fashioned a kind of vagina out of the remaining tissue. When "she" grew older, hormone treatments would complete the transformation from boy to girl.



The case became a landmark in the annals of sex research, living proof of the prevailing theory of the 1960s and early 1970s that sexual identity exists in a kind of continuum and that nurture is more important than nature in determining gender roles. Babies are born gender neutral, the experts said. Catch them early enough, and you can make them anything you want. Widely cited in medical and social‑science textbooks, the baby's transformation helped pediatricians confidently advise other parents facing similar circumstances to rear their wounded boys as girls.



What these doctors and parents didn't know was that the celebrated sex‑change success story was, in fact, a total failure. In a follow‑up study published last week in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Milton Diamond, a professor of anatomy and reproductive biology at the University of Hawaii, and Dr. Keith Sigmundson, a psychiatrist with the Canadian Ministry of Health, report that the child, whom they called "Joan," never really adjusted to her assigned gender. In fact, Joan was surgically changed back to "John" in the late 1970s, and is now the happily married father of three adopted children.



Almost from the beginning, Diamond and Sigmundson write, Joan rebelled at her treatment. Even as a toddler, she felt different. When her mother clothed her in frilly dresses, she would try to rip them off. She preferred to play with boys and stereotypical boys' toys‑‑in one memorable instance walking into a store to buy an umbrella and walking out with a toy machine gun. By second grade, she had come to suspect she would fit in better as a boy. But her doctors insisted that these feelings were perfectly normal, that she was just a tomboy. "I thought I was a freak or something," John told Diamond and Sigmundson in interviews conducted in 1994 and 1995.



Although the other kids didn't know about Joan's surgical history, they teased her about her tomboyish looks and behavior. Public bathrooms proved to be a source of particular discomfort. Joan often insisted on urinating standing up, which usually made a mess. In junior high school, she stood so often in the stalls of the girls' rest room that the girls finally refused to let her in anymore, forcing her to use the boys' room instead.



By this time, Joan was pretty sure she was a boy. But no matter what she told her doctors and psychiatrists, they kept pressing her to act more feminine. Eventually, she gave up trying to convince them. "You can't argue with a bunch of doctors in white coats," John recalls. "You're just a little kid, and their minds are already made up. They didn't want to listen."



In 1977, when she was 14, Joan decided she had only two options: either commit suicide or live her life as a male. Finally, in a tearful confrontation, her father told her the true story of her birth and sex change. "All of a sudden everything clicked," John remembers. "For the first time things made sense, and I understood who and what I was." With the support of a new set of doctors, Joan underwent a pair of operations to reconstruct a penis‑‑albeit a diminutive one without the sensitivity or function of a normal sex organ.





Following this second set of sex‑change procedures, John's new doctors advised the family to move to a new town and another school and start over. This time, however, John's parents rejected the expert advice. People would find out anyway, they reasoned. It was better to stay put and be open about what had happened. Their strategy seems to have worked. After a brief transition, John was accepted by his peers in a way that Joan never was. Once, when John first began dating, he confessed to a would‑be girlfriend that he was insecure about his penis, and she started telling tales in school about his condition. But Joan's old schoolmates stuck loyally by John, refusing to be drawn into the girl's malicious gossip.



At its worst, this story could be read as a lesson in scientific hubris. At its best, it's a story about the courage of one boy who claimed the right to determine his own identity.



Unfortunately, no follow‑up study reporting that John had rejected his initial sex change was ever published. As a result, say Diamond and Sigmundson, dozens of other boys may have been needlessly castrated. In defense of the original team, Johns Hopkins says it wasn't able to conduct a follow‑up because the family stopped coming to see its doctors.



Diamond and Sigmundson suspect that most boys‑made‑girls will, like John, reject their female identity by the time they reach puberty. Other experts are not so sure. "We don't have the answers," says Dr. William Reiner, a surgeon and psychiatrist at Johns Hopkins (who was not involved in the original case). "Let's listen to these kids. They eventually are going to give us the answer."





Time Magazine: March 24, 1997 vol. 149 no. 12

Really Interesting haaa...

But kinda sad story

नेपाली मा translate गर्नुमिल्छकि? क्यै बुझ्याभे त -- मरि नै जाम

nails!*wink *wink*:))

i tried to translate! :p

बोय् विथोउत् अ पेनिस्

ठे एक्स्पेर्त्स् हद् इत् अल्ल् व्रोङ्, सय्स् थे बेलेअगुएरेद् सुर्विवोर् ओफ् अ लन्द्मर्क् १९६०'स् सेक्स्-चङेस् ओपेरतिओन्

ब्य्: चृस्तिने गोर्मन्



हे वस् ओने ओफ् अ सेत् ओफ् इन्फन्त् त्विन् बोय्स् व्हेन्, इन् १९६३, हिस् पेनिस् वस् दमगेद् बेयोन्द् रेपैर् ब्य् अ किर्कुम्किसिओन् थत् वेन्त् अव्र्य्। अफ्तेर् सीकिङ् एक्स्पेर्त् अद्विके अत् जोह्न्स् होप्किन्स् मेदिकल् स्चूल्, थे परेन्त्स् देकिदेद् थत् थे चिल्द्'स् बेस्त् शोत् अत् अ नोर्मल् लिफे वस् अस् अन् अनतोमिकल्ल्य् कोर्‍एक्त् वोमन्। ठे बब्य् वस् कस्त्रतेद् [दुए तो अ बोत्चेद् किर्कुम्किसिओन्], अन्द् सुर्गेओन्स् फशिओनेद् अ किन्द् ओफ् वगिन ओउत् ओफ् थे रेमैनिङ् तिस्सुए। व्हेन् "शे" ग्रेव् ओल्देर्, होर्मोने त्रेअत्मेन्त्स् वोउल्द् कोम्प्लेते थे त्रन्स्फोर्मतिओन् फ्रोम् बोय् तो गिर्ल्।



ठे कसे बेकमे अ लन्द्मर्क् इन् थे अन्नल्स् ओफ् सेक्स् रेसेअर्च्, लिविङ् प्रूफ् ओफ् थे प्रेवैलिङ् थेओर्य् ओफ् थे १९६०स् अन्द् एअर्ल्य् १९७०स् थत् सेक्सुअल् इदेन्तित्य् एक्सिस्त्स् इन् अ किन्द् ओफ् कोन्तिनुउम् अन्द् थत् नुर्तुरे इस् मोरे इम्पोर्तन्त् थन् नतुरे इन् देतेर्मिनिङ् गेन्देर् रोलेस्। बबिएस् अरे बोर्न् गेन्देर् नेउत्रल्, थे एक्स्पेर्त्स् सैद्। कत्च् थेम् एअर्ल्य् एनोउघ्, अन्द् योउ कन् मके थेम् अन्य्थिङ् योउ वन्त्। विदेल्य् कितेद् इन् मेदिकल् अन्द् सोकिअल्‑स्किएन्के तेक्स्त्बूक्स्, थे बब्य्'स् त्रन्स्फोर्मतिओन् हेल्पेद् पेदिअतृकिअन्स् कोन्फिदेन्त्ल्य् अद्विसे ओथेर् परेन्त्स् फकिङ् सिमिलर् किर्कुम्स्तन्केस् तो रेअर् थेइर् वोउन्देद् बोय्स् अस् गिर्ल्स्।

अल्थोउघ् थे ओथेर् किद्स् दिद्न्'त् क्नोव् अबोउत् जोअन्'स् सुर्गिकल् हिस्तोर्य्, थेय् तेअसेद् हेर् अबोउत् हेर् तोम्बोयिश् लूक्स् अन्द् बेहविओर्। पुब्लिक् बथ्रूम्स् प्रोवेद् तो बे अ सोउर्के ओफ् पर्तिकुलर् दिस्कोम्फोर्त्। जोअन् ओफ्तेन् इन्सिस्तेद् ओन् उरिनतिङ् स्तन्दिङ् उप्, व्हिच् उसुअल्ल्य् मदे अ मेस्स्। इन् जुनिओर् हिघ् स्चूल्, शे स्तूद् सो ओफ्तेन् इन् थे स्तल्ल्स् ओफ् थे गिर्ल्स्' रेस्त् रूम् थत् थे गिर्ल्स् फिनल्ल्य् रेफुसेद् तो लेत् हेर् इन् अन्य्मोरे, फोर्किङ् हेर् तो उसे थे बोय्स्' रूम् इन्स्तेअद्।



ब्य् थिस् तिमे, जोअन् वस् प्रेत्त्य् सुरे शे वस् अ बोय्। बुत् नो मत्तेर् व्हत् शे तोल्द् हेर् दोक्तोर्स् अन्द् प्स्य्चिअतृस्त्स्, थेय् केप्त् प्रेस्सिङ् हेर् तो अक्त् मोरे फेमिनिने। एवेन्तुअल्ल्य्, शे गवे उप् त्र्यिङ् तो कोन्विन्के थेम्। "योउ कन्'त् अर्गुए विथ् अ बुन्च् ओफ् दोक्तोर्स् इन् व्हिते कोअत्स्," जोह्न् रेकल्ल्स्। "योउ'रे जुस्त् अ लित्त्ले किद्, अन्द् थेइर् मिन्द्स् अरे अल्रेअद्य् मदे उप्। ठेय् दिद्न्'त् वन्त् तो लिस्तेन्।"



इन् १९७७, व्हेन् शे वस् १४, जोअन् देकिदेद् शे हद् ओन्ल्य् त्वो ओप्तिओन्स्: एइथेर् कोम्मित् सुइकिदे ओर् लिवे हेर् लिफे अस् अ मले। फिनल्ल्य्, इन् अ तेअर्फुल् कोन्फ्रोन्ततिओन्, हेर् फथेर् तोल्द् हेर् थे त्रुए स्तोर्य् ओफ् हेर् बिर्थ् अन्द् सेक्स् चङे। "अल्ल् ओफ् अ सुद्देन् एवेर्य्थिङ् क्लिक्केद्," जोह्न् रेमेम्बेर्स्। "फोर् थे फिर्स्त् तिमे थिङ्स् मदे सेन्से, अन्द् इ उन्देर्स्तूद् व्हो अन्द् व्हत् इ वस्।" विथ् थे सुप्पोर्त् ओफ् अ नेव् सेत् ओफ् दोक्तोर्स्, जोअन् उन्देर्वेन्त् अ पैर् ओफ् ओपेरतिओन्स् तो रेकोन्स्त्रुक्त् अ पेनिस्‑‑अल्बेइत् अ दिमिनुतिवे ओने विथोउत् थे सेन्सितिवित्य् ओर् फुन्क्तिओन् ओफ् अ नोर्मल् सेक्स् ओर्गन्।


उन्फोर्तुनतेल्य्, नो फोल्लोव्‑उप् स्तुद्य् रेपोर्तिङ् थत् जोह्न् हद् रेजेक्तेद् हिस् इनितिअल् सेक्स् चङे वस् एवेर् पुब्लिशेद्। अस् अ रेसुल्त्, सय् डिअ्ओन्द् अन्द् सिग्मुन्द्सोन्, दोजेन्स् ओफ् ओथेर् बोय्स् मय् हवे बीन् नीद्लेस्स्ल्य् कस्त्रतेद्। इन् देफेन्से ओफ् थे ओरिगिनल् तेअ्, जोह्न्स् होप्किन्स् सय्स् इत् वस्न्'त् अब्ले तो कोन्दुक्त् अ फोल्लोव्‑उप् बेकौसे थे फमिल्य् स्तोप्पेद् कोमिङ् तो सी इत्स् दोक्तोर्स्।



डिअ्ओन्द् अन्द् सिग्मुन्द्सोन् सुस्पेक्त् थत् मोस्त् बोय्स्‑मदे‑गिर्ल्स् विल्ल्, लिके जोह्न्, रेजेक्त् थेइर् फेमले इदेन्तित्य् ब्य् थे तिमे थेय् रेअच् पुबेर्त्य्। ओथेर् एक्स्पेर्त्स् अरे नोत् सो सुरे। "वे दोन्'त् हवे थे अन्स्वेर्स्," सय्स् ड्र्। विल्लिअ् रेइनेर्, अ सुर्गेओन् अन्द् प्स्य्चिअतृस्त् अत् जोह्न्स् होप्किन्स् (व्हो वस् नोत् इन्वोल्वेद् इन् थे ओरिगिनल् कसे)। "लेत्'स् लिस्तेन् तो थेसे किद्स्। ठेय् एवेन्तुअल्ल्य् अरे गोइङ् तो गिवे उस् थे अन्स्वेर्।"


fun intended! *no red face ,pleech!*:p
sr!st!

sr!st! u got so much time?:o| ...u translated it all by urself?dyam ur good!!!;oP

..ps..u give free lessons?i mean not that im lookn for free nepali (roman to nepali converting) lessons ;oP hehe...but who knows..always be prepared for future hoina?;oP hehe

seriously didnt realise a circumcision gone bad..can result to such situations :o|

sacchi ho..yo manchey bhanney chiz kayho?:o| aphu lai aphi..:oS u know..wat i mean?cos malai thachaina wat i meant or was goin to say ;oP hehe...


la la good day :oD