Annalise Ricciardulli

Shades of Grey—Grey’s Anatomy
          As society undergoes a progressive change in the media and sexuality sector, there has been an increase in the  “queering” of characters across all media platforms, most specifically film and television. Furthermore, in order to better understand the changes that have been ongoing in recent years, I looked at ABC Studio Productions’ hit drama series Grey’s Anatomy. Shonda Rhimes created the Golden Globe winning series, which first aired in March of 2005 and is still running today. In addition to creating the show, Rhimes served as an executive producer along with Betsy Beers, Mark Gordon, Tony Phelan, Joan Rater and Rob Corn. Further, the reason I selected this example was because I am a dedicated fan of the show and also because the show has a large viewership making is especially relevant to today’s media consumers. I also selected Grey’s Anatomy because it has a diverse set of characters, all of which represent different backgrounds. With that being said, I am going to specifically look at the character of Dr. Callie Torres and her impactful role as a straight woman and then bisexual woman throughout the series.
Introducing Dr. Callie Torres
          In order to critically analyze the role of Callie Torres it is crucial to first understand her postionality and the dynamics of her background. To begin, Torres is first introduced into the series during season two as an orthopedic resident. During her initial time on the show, Torres is seen as the controversial love interest of George O’Malley with whom she eventually marries. Torres’ marriage to O’Malley is greatly supported by her affluent catholic family, most especially her father. However, after O’Malley fatally dies in an accident Torres strikes up a new relationship with Dr. Mark Sloan, which eventually leads to Torres’ first bisexual experience with Dr. Erica Hahn. Torres and Hahn’s romantic relationship initially starts with a steamy elevator kiss that is intended to make Sloan upset. However, this kiss begins to have strings attached when Torres initiates another passionate moment between Hahn and herself thus leading her to discover her bisexuality. After struggling to accept her newfound sexuality, Torres cheats on Hahn with Sloan causing them to break up. Following Torres and Hahn’s breakup, she eventually gets in another same-sex relationship with Dr. Arizona Robbins. It is in this relationship that Torres begins her struggles with intersectionality.
Intersectionality as Easy as 1-2-3
          While Torres is a presented as a strong and independent woman, she does find comfort in relying on her family for both support and finances. It is for this reason, that Torres finds it particularly difficult to confront her father about her same-sex relationship. As mentioned, Torres’ family is catholic and her father is traditional in his beliefs, so when she finally worked up the courage to enlighten him about her new relationship, it was profoundly evident she was struggling with the intersection of her social categorizations. Moreover, Torres was struggling with what Dr. Rodriguez’s lecture, Hegemony and All That Jazz coined as “structural intersectionality,” most specifically with religion, financial class and sexual identity. Furthermore, the representation of the intersection of her religion and sexual identity is best summarized in the excerpt Exploring the Intersections of Religion and Spirituality with Race-Ethnicity and Gender in Counseling. In the article the scholars state, “It is important to note that although the media portrays sexual orientation as dualistic (either/or) and religion as conservative (condemning), neither positions are reality.” In other words, Torres is portrayed in a battle with having to choose her religion, family and financial stability, or her bisexuality and relationship with Dr. Robins, but she simply cannot have both. Moreover, although this representation is not necessarily positive, it is a true depiction of what most individuals, like Torres, face when coming out.
A 57% to 34% Ratio
          In addition to Torres intersectionality representation, there is another key point to address relevant to Torres’ coming out when it originally aired. In other words, what was the general opinion of media consumers on same-sex relationships in 2007 when the season was airing? Further, according to Pew Research Center and their article Changing Attitudes on Gay Marriage, 37% percent of American adults favored same-sex relationships whereas 54% of Americans opposed same-sex relationships. Thus, these statics prove that ABC Studios were willing to represent characters in their show that were not considered accepted by the majority of consumers. In addition, the show’s rating history, according to Fandom suggests that during the 2007 season the show hit the height of their viewership consumption in running history. Moreover the facts above outline that ABC was at the forefront of inclusivity and were not just representing women as strong and able to be doctors, but also able to be gay, which goes against many of the stereotypes Karen Ross suggests in chapter one of The Handbook of Gender, Sex, and Media. In fact, Ross suggests that many times women are seen as mere assets to the male patriarchal society, which Grey’s Anatomy disproves.
Conclusion
          As a whole, Grey’s Anatomy does a thorough job of queering a character and not just Callie Torres, but also multiple other characters. It is especially compelling given the viewership saw a significant increase when Torres was discovering her true sexuality. Additionally, it was courageous of ABC studios and the show’s producers alike to incorporate a character that by statics was not socially accepted. However, the show brought awareness to the topic and likely aided in many peoples’ acceptance of same-sex relationships. All in all, Callie Torres is a poster image of what it is for the media to “queer” a character.


References
Fukuyama, M., Ouig, A., Pence Wolf, C., & Baggs, A. (n.d.). Exploring the Intersections of Religion and Spirituality with Race-Ethnicity and Gender in Counseling.

Nielsen. (n.d.). Rating History: Grey's Anatomy . Retrieved from http://nielsenratings.wikia.com/wiki/Rating_History:_Grey%27s_Anatomy

Participants, S. (2016, May 12). Changing Attitudes on Gay Marriage . Retrieved from http://www.pewforum.org/2016/05/12/changing-attitudes-on-gay-marriage/

Rodriguez, N. (n.d.). Hegemony and All That Jazz . Lecture presented in SDSU.

Ross, K. (2014). The handbook of gender, sex, and media. Chichester: Wiley Blackwell.
 

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