Behind the scenes, David never identified as female. Throughout his childhood, he resisted feminine roles and suffered from severe gender dysphoria and depression.

At age 14, after learning the truth about his birth, he immediately chose to live as a male and took the name David. He later underwent surgeries to reverse the reassignment and married in 1990. Legacy and Death

David Reimer (1965–2004) was a Canadian man whose life became a pivotal and tragic case study in psychology and medical ethics regarding gender identity.