Bye, network TV lesbians... we'll miss you!

Here's an article from the LA Times which sums up perfectly how I feel about this week's episode of Grey's Anatomy:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-greys8-2008nov08,0,2268544.story

It's so disheartening that on the very same day that California voted to ban gay marriage, a sympathetic, beautiful, and interesting lesbian character was inexplicable written off of a highly rated, beloved network TV show. I'm worried about where our culture is going in terms of pop culture visibility for gays and lesbians, and whether or not we're again going to see the kind of ad-pulling and backlash that happened when Ellen came out.

As the writer of this article says, it seems as though "Will & Grace" had ushered in a new era for television sitcoms and dramas, perhaps opening doors to a television world where gay people actually exist. And though that worked for a while, it only worked in one episode doses, and what we were left with was pay-cable soaps like "Queer as Folk" and "The L Word." I'll venture to say that isn't enough, especially since my idea of a quality television drama doesn't usually involve soft-core porn.

As more and more interviews with Smith herself as well as the producers of the show come in, it seems increasingly clear that this decisions really did come from ABC, and not Rhimes. I was hoping that we'd find out (not that it's really our business, but hey, what the hell) that Smith was indeed fired for forgetting her lines or something, because at least that would give me some hope for the future of TV lesbians, and for the future of Callie on my beloved show.

Rhimes' statement that they still have Callie as the resident lesbian on the show doesn't help, because if ABC won't let them show a realistic sexual relationships between two women, then Callie will just become even more sad than she already is. In further discouraging news, "Ugly Betty"'s resident tranny is gone due to Rebecca Romijn's pregnancy (which isn't really ABC's doing, but we'll see if she comes back), and they also aired an episode of "Brothers and Sisters" with a Prop 8 storyline a week AFTER election day.

I've loved Grey's since the beginning, because I love these characters. I grasped onto it even more this season, because Callie and Erica's relationship not only revived a flailing show, but it also introduced a fun new character, and provided something new for me to relate to. Perhaps Erica wasn't the most popular new character, but for me, she was a refreshing addition to the show, and it was made all the better when she became the woman to bring some honesty to her relationship with Callie.

I'll keep watching Grey's Anatomy, because once I'm loyal to a show, I don't give up so easily. I loved the show before they had lesbian characters, and I will love it after - it doesn't make or break the show, in all honesty. But I may just be a little sadder every time I see Callie the lonely, confused, newly out bisexual.