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Jimmy Zizmo a.k.a. Minister Fard
Dr. Luce is a famous sexologist who specializes is considered the world expert on intersex conditions. He is seeking to prove a social construction theory of gender, meaning that the way in which a person is raised has a greater impact on how they identify than their biology. He is thrilled to meet Callie, who is intersex and is therefore a perfect test subject for him, but ends up subjecting Callie to unethical, invasive, and patronizing treatment. Without gaining Callie’s consent, Dr. Luce recommends that she undergo hormone treatment and surgery to make herself more like a “normal” woman, despite the fact that Callie’s biological sex is closer to male than female.
Dr. Luce Quotes in Middlesex
The Middlesex quotes below are all either spoken by Dr. Luce or refer to Dr. Luce. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Book 4: Looking Myself Up in Webster’s Quotes
In addition, the subject has been raised in the Greek Orthodox tradition, with its strongly sex-defined roles. In general the parents seem assimilationist and very “all-American” in their outlook, but the presence of this deeper ethnic identity should not be overlooked.
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"My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." -Graham S.
Dr. Luce Character Timeline in Middlesex
The timeline below shows where the character Dr. Luce appears in Middlesex. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Book 1: Matchmaking
...girl from the village. They stand close together, and Desdemona has a feeling that Dr. Luce describes as “periphescence,” the state of intense erotic attachment that comes early on in a...
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Book 3: Home Movies
...The family have two boxers. Later, this film (“Easter ‘62”) will be screened by Dr. Luce at Cornell University Medical School. It shows the infant Callie nursing a baby doll.
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Book 4: The Oracular Vulva
...books and imagery surrounding them. Milton comments, “Sort of unusual décor.” At this moment, Dr. Luce appears. Introducing himself, he asks if he’s right in recalling that Calliope was one of...
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Dr. Luce is a famous sexologist who is trying to play down how excited he is to...
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This all changed in 1955, when Dr. Luce published an article in which he argued that gender is determined in a large variety...
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Dr. Luce asks Callie to change into a paper gown, then takes her blood. He then examines...
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Dr. Luce brings Milton and Tessie into his office to talk to them. Tessie notices that he...
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...back to the Italian restaurant together, and every day, they go to the clinic. Dr. Luce interviews Callie about herself, asking whether she has hobbies and whether she is sexually attracted...
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...realizes how fun it is, Callie begins to lie. She realizes that whatever she writes, Luce will lap it up. She pretends to be “the all-American daughter my parents wanted [her]...
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The three doctors examine Callie’s genitals and make comments. Dr. Luce tells the others that although Callie’s condition is extremely rare, it will nonetheless prove highly...
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Book 4: Looking Myself Up in Webster’s
...impact her for the rest of her life. After two weeks of evaluating her, Dr. Luce has finally come to a conclusion. Callie can tell by the way that Milton has...
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Dr. Luce begins by explaining how as babies, everyone carries “potential boy parts and girl parts,” and...
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Dr. Luce explains that he is recommending a treatment combining hormone injections and surgery, which will mean...
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...“a hormonal thing,” adding that it’s “no big deal.” When Callie goes to see Dr. Luce herself that evening, he speaks plainly, without oversimplifying or sugarcoating his words. He frankly informs...
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Turning to Dr. Luce’s desk, Callie sees that he has left her file open and immediately starts to read...
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Dr. Luce concludes that pretty much everything about Callie is female, even if she is chromosomally male,...
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...$300 in cash from Milton and writes a note to her parents saying that Dr. Luce is a “big liar” and that she is actually a boy, not a girl. She...
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Book 4: Gender Dysphoria in San Francisco
...NYPD detective to go home in case Callie showed up there. Before they go, Dr. Luce informs them that Callie may have read and misunderstood her file. When Milton demands to...
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Book 4: Hermaphroditus
...as a series of adaptations for evolutionary purposes. Under this influence of this thinking, Dr. Luce’s ideas face fierce opposition in the 1990s. When Cal disappears, Luce is initially crushed. However,...
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...that Cal’s story doesn’t totally cohere with the evolutionary biologist’s view of gender or with Luce’s. He did not feel “out of place” as a girl and now doesn’t feel entirely...
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...new place of work. Having been subject to such intense and invasive scrutiny at Dr. Luce’s clinic, Cal doesn’t mind performing. He works with two other women, “so called,” named Carmen...
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