Eight-month-old baby John was the victim of an accident during circumcision which left him with almost no penis. The next year, when he was almost two, the family brought him to Dr. John Money at John Hopkins University Medical School, who advised them to have his testicles surgically removed. The theory was that John could be brought up as a girl – that nurture rather than nature created sexual identity, a theory that had gained some acceptance in the sixties.

Following the doctor's advice, the family renamed him Joan, dressed him in frilly dresses and treated him like a little girl. However, beneath the curls and dresses, John/Joan was miserable in his female persona. His twin brother recalls that he was never "feminine." Yet Dr. Money published a report on the success of this particular sex assignment.

When he was an adolescent John learned the truth about his birth. Angry at his fate, he made several suicide attempts and refused to continue to see Dr. Money. Now in his thirties, he has put his life back together, having undergone reconstructive surgery that enables him to have a normal sex life. This unique film also includes interviews with professionals involved with psychosexual development.

"An intriguing (never exploitative) documentary." Booklist

American Psychological Association, 1999