Money was actually trying to demonstrate that surgery and socialization could form gender identity. If David were raised as a girl, given surgery to make his genitals look female, and given female hormones during puberty, then surely he would grow up to identify as a girl.

But he didn't. His male gender identity stayed firm.

Where people get the idea that Money is some sort of patron saint of trans, I don't know. Trans people say their own lives have demonstrated all along that Money was wrong about gender identity being malleable.