James Pennington

A Denver man was arrested after he used an Army surgical kit to remove a transsexual man’s testicles. James Pennington, 57, was arrested last week and is being held without bond.

According to court documents, Pennington “surgically disconnected and removed the victim’s 2 testicles and then sutured the opening back up.” The surgery took place at the victim’s apartment in Denver.

Police say the transsexual asked Pennington to perform the procedure and he readily agreed earlier this month.

The victim’s wife observed the procedure and accompanied her husband to an area hospital after the victim’s wound started bleeding profusely.

The victim’s wife told police the bleeding started after she changed her husband’s dressing. She said Pennington told her to call 911 if complications developed after the procedure.

Court papers say the victim’s testicles could not be surgically reattached due to the time delay and that he had a “risk of permanent disfigurement.”

In his op-ed piece for The Wall Street Journal, Dr. Paul R. McHugh, the former psychiatrist-in-chief for Johns Hopkins Hospital, said sex change is “biologically impossible,” and that people who promote sexual reassignment surgery are collaborating with and promoting a mental disorder.

Pennington is not a licensed surgeon or medical professional. He holds a pilot’s license.