John Money

John Money was a New Zealand-born psychologist, sexologist, and professor best known for his work on gender identity, gender roles, and human sexuality.

John Money was a New Zealand-born psychologist, sexologist, and professor best known for his work on gender identity, gender roles, and human sexuality. He spent much of his career at Johns Hopkins University, where he helped establish research programs and a gender identity clinic. His ideas were influential but also became highly controversial, especially in connection with the David Reimer case.

Early life and education

John Money was born in Morrinsville, New Zealand, in 1921 and later moved to the United States. He earned a Ph.D. from Harvard University and developed an early interest in psychology and sexuality.

Career at Johns Hopkins

Money spent much of his professional life at Johns Hopkins University, where he worked in psychiatry and pediatrics. He established research programs in psychoendocrinology and later founded the Gender Identity Clinic.

Ideas and terminology

Money contributed influential concepts in sexology, including gender role and related theories about gender identity and human sexual development. He also helped promote the term sexual orientation in place of sexual preference.

Controversies and legacy

Money’s work became especially controversial because of his views on gender development and his involvement in the David Reimer case. He is remembered as both an important and disputed figure in 20th-century sexology.