A Clear Acceptance: Attitudes on and off the set of Grey's Anatomy of LBG Individuals

The following clip is a compilation of scenes from an episode of Grey’s Anatomy where Callie, one of the main characters and a resident at Seattle Grace Hospital, realizes that she is bisexual.

Like many people today, Callie is battling with her sexuality and figuring out who she is and “testing” this out only makes her more confused. Most media shows the hardships of one who determines that he or she is gay, lesbian, or the rarely mentioned bisexual, but this is a different case because Callie is not tormented or ostracized. In fact, her friend Mark is fully supportive and thinks nothing less of her. Many individuals have reported to have turned away from media because of the usual LGB stereotypes (Bond, Bradley, Hefner, Veronica, Drogos, Kristin) and for that reason this series stands out. Mark and Callie going out for drinks after she tells him that sex with him was good but she is going to try dating Erica, an attending at the hospital, shows that there is no animosity. Grey's Anatomy goes against stereotype norms and time after time again introduces LGB characters while never making a point of indicating that sexuality becomes their identity. This is a perfect example to show individuals who are debating whether or not to come out because it is a positive example of what life can be after coming out.

This positivity towards those who identify as LGB continued behind the scenes as one of the leads Isaiah Washington was kicked off the show for a gay slur said at the Golden Globes in regards to one of his costars. The following link explains Washington's life after Grey's Anatomy.

"Isaiah Washington: I Was Persecuted By Hollywood After Anti-Gay Golden Globes Incident"

This was not tolerated in Hollywood and Washington was blacklisted for five years until he was able to score a role for a small project. This example shows the immense progression of acceptance of individuals who identify as LGB. I think a study done now about “The Influence and Effects of Coming Out in  Mediated Enviroment” would take a complete twist and individuals would be more comfortable speaking to others and be more likely to look to media for examples that everything will be okay.

References-

Bond, Bradley, Hefner, Veronica, Drogos, Kristin. "Formation-Seeking Practices during the Sexual Development of Lesbian, Gay, and Bi-Sexual Individuals: The Influence and Effects of Coming Out in a Mediated Environment" December 2008. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2008

Isaiah Washington: I Was Persecuted By Hollywood After Anti-Gay Golden Globes Incident. (2013, September 13). Retrieved October 24, 2015.