Rhimes’ comments indicating that the show will explore “what happens when the two of them come out in the hospital” answers the most pressing question for many lesbian/bi viewers by confirming that the two women will, in fact, have a romantic relationship.

Rhimes is also interested in exploring the nauances of coming out later in life. “I think it’s very different to go from being 19 and declare this,” she said, “and to be a grown woman and declare this when your family’s already thought something else.”

When asked whether Callie is on a journey to “figure out whether she’s actually gay,” Rhimes responded, “They are definitely on a journey, and it’s going to be a really interesting one. It’s funny, the writers are really excited about it. I mean, we spent a lot of hours talking about how we’re going to do it and what we’re going to do, what might the problems be and the emotional aspects of it and the fun that we can have with it. So we’re excited about it.”

The writers did not originally plan for this story line, according to Rhimes. It developed organically from the other story lines on the show as well as the relationship between actors Sara Ramirez and Brooke Smith.