Description
Writings, lectures, course materials, printed
materials from research, and miscellaneous items created and collected by
psychologist/sexologist Dr. John William Money. The bulk of the collection is a
complete carbon-copy set of Money's lectures from his class, "Biosocial Aspects
of Human Sexuality" at Johns Hopkins University, in fall 1980. The collection
also includes a number of Money's early writings; article off-prints; and his
"Autobiographical Statement," later re-titled "Explorations in Human Behavior"
and published in the second volume of
The History of Clinical Psychology in
Autobiography
(1993), edited by C. Eugene Walker.
Background
John William Money was born on July 8, 1921, in Morrinsville, Waikato,
New Zealand. He grew up in a conservative, evangelical Christian family, which
may have influenced his research focus later in life. He received his
undergraduate degree in psychology from Victoria University in 1943, then
emigrated to the United States to pursue graduate education. He studied social
relations in the Psychological Clinic at Harvard University, receiving his
Ph.D. in 1952. The next year, he joined the faculty of Johns Hopkins University
Medical School, where he taught and carried out sexology research for over 50
years. He founded the Psychohormonal Research Unit at Johns Hopkins University
Medical School and coined the term "gender role" in 1955, which he later
expanded to "gender-identity/role" (GI/R). Throughout his career, Money
authored numerous publications on sexology, including
Venuses Penuses in 1986 and the
controversial
Man and Woman, Boy and Girl, coauthored with
Anke Ehrhardt in 1972. In the latter, Money and Ehrhardt expressed the view
that gender was malleable and could be altered through external factors such as
prescribed hormones and behavior therapy. To support this hypothesis, Money
cited the "John/Joan" case, in which he advised a Canadian couple whose son's
genitals had been severely damaged in a circumcision gone awry to raise the
child as a female. The family acted according to this advice; the child
underwent surgery to construct a vagina and began estrogen treatment. Money
followed "Joan's" progress for five years and declared the treatment
successful. However, as soon as "Joan" was informed about the treatment at the
age of fourteen, he reclaimed a male identity and underwent sex reassignment
surgery. Despite this action, "John" remained deeply troubled and committed
suicide in 2004. According to his colleagues, Money was very distressed by the
outcome of that case and preferred not to re-examine it. Dr. Richard Green, an
emeritus professor at the University of California, Los Angeles and one of
Money's former colleagues, publicly defended Money's actions, explaining that
Money had no way of knowing that the treatment would backfire. Other
researchers, however, find fault with Money's research practices regarding the
case. Despite this debate, Money's impact in the field of sexology remains
undisputed. His research marked the first steps toward a new understanding of
gender that is still developing today. Money died of complications from
Parkinson's disease on July 7, 2006 in Towson, Maryland. He was survived by
eight nieces and nephews. Many originals of his lectures and research are
housed at the Kinsey Institute.
Restrictions
Researchers wishing to publish materials must obtain permission in
writing from ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives as the physical owner.
Researchers must also obtain clearance from the holder(s) of any copyrights in
the materials. Note that ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives can grant
copyright clearance only for those materials for which we hold the copyright.
It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain copyright clearance for
all other materials directly from the copyright holder(s).