Edward Pollak asked: > Every semester I teach physiological psychology. When I get to > the subject of androgen insensitivity syndrome (AKA testicular > feminization syndrome) some student invariable says "Oh, yeah. > That's what Jamie Leigh Curtis has!" Can anyone confirm this? > Inquiring minds .............. The alt folklore and urban legends site at: http://www.urbanlegends.com/celebrities/jlc.html has an interesting exchange on this topic. The bottom line seems to be that this claim has been around for a long time, that JLC has never commented on it, and it's therefore unverified and no one's business. Seems reasonable to me. I can understand why one might want to humanize a poorly-understood condition which is the target of curiosity and prejudice by citing a positive role model, But the role model must be willing to be so cited. Last year I did a web search, and came up with biographies (with photographs) of engaging individuals with the sex chromosome abnormalities of Turner's, Klinefelter's, and Down syndrome, which I showed to my class. But these individuals proudly announced their genetic status on the webpages of their organizations. On the other hand, I thought it was interesting that I never found a biography for an XYY individual. Apparently, the prejudice against this condition is so strong that no one will openly admit to it. -Stephen ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stephen Black, Ph.D. tel: (819) 822-9600 ext 2470 Department of Psychology fax: (819) 822-9661 Bishop's University e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Lennoxville, QC J1M 1Z7 Canada Department web page at http://www.ubishops.ca/ccc/div/soc/psy Check out TIPS listserv for teachers of psychology at: http://www.frostburg.edu/dept/psyc/southerly/tips/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------
