Sarah Ramirez as Dr. Cali Torres in the 239 episode ABC hospital drama, making Cali the longest-serving LGBTQ character in television history.
On Wednesday, 46-year-old Ramirez spoke about his experience as a Dr. Kali Torres, a bisexual woman, and orthopedic surgeon — making Kali the longest-serving LGBTQ character in television history.
In a recent interview with Variety, Ramirez, who was revealed to be non-binary in 2020 and uses the pronoun he, recalled the time they approached creator Shonda Rimes with the fresh idea of ​​portraying Kali as bisexual.
"I wanted to pursue a story where Kali was attracted to women and men," Ramirez told the paper.
So in 2009, Kali appeared as bisexual on the show. At the time, Ramirez said they knew they were bisexual but weren't ready to go public just yet.
"I was terrified being bisexual would ruin my career," Ramirez told PEOPLE in December. "I am well aware of the bisexual antagonism that exists. But I am very proud of what we have to offer the world. That must have messed up the story." After a brief marriage with Dr. George O'Malley married Kali Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw) on the show. The relationship proved to be very influential.
In an interview with Out Magazine previous year, Ramirez said that the role had an impact not only on the LBGTQ community but also on her image.
"I never saw myself on TV before Kali Torres," Ramirez told the newspaper. "There are so many happen I don't know that I don't know. So I got caught up in a lot of things."
