This Sunday on CBS’ show Madam Secretary, the character Kat Sandoval (played by bisexual actor Sara Ramirez), will come out as both bisexual and a parent in an episode that also deals with international LGBTQ rights. Watch a clip.
Sandoval, a policy advisor to the secretary of state and former chief of staff to the UN ambassador, surprises her colleague Jay Whitman (Sebastian Arcelus), the secretary’s chief of staff, when she tells him she’s a parent and co-parenting with the son’s dad. Whitman had assumed from her shaved-sides haircut and masculine clothing that she was a lesbian. “I’m bisexual,” she corrects him. “You can also say pansexual or fluid or non-monosexual, but yeah, I’m queer.”
Whitman’s acceptance and earnestness in wanting to understand is a far cry from the shock that characters of an earlier era (or less well-written show) might have expressed. And the characters know each other to begin with, which gives Whitman some leeway to ask questions. They proceed to have a thoughtful discussion about the word “queer,” in which the writers of the show make a point of saying that the term can have multiple meanings. Sandoval tells Whitman, “I think it means different things to different people, but for me, it’s about the freedom to live my gender identity and expression as well as my sexual orientation.”
Whitman then inquires further about her gender expression, and Sandoval shares that she used to dress in a more traditionally feminine way in order to move up in her career. Now, she can be her authentic self. It’s so exciting to see a non-transgender character discuss a non-traditional gender identity and expression—not that transgender characters shouldn’t do so, but that’s often the only context in which we hear about the subject on television. Gender identity and expression is a wide and glorious spectrum, and it’s good to see more discussion of it, with both trans and cis characters.
[pullquote]Somehow becoming a parent only made it feel more vital, you know?[/pullquote]I also love that the episode shows the characters bonding about their shared experiences as parents, and explores the intersection between parenting and queer identity. In discussing being her true self, Sandoval relates, “Somehow becoming a parent only made it feel more vital, you know?”
What you won’t see in this clip (although it is hinted at) is the episode’s overall storyline about a group of LGBTQ refugees seeking asylum. Ramirez, with the support of the show’s producer and writers, consulted with LGBTQ advocacy organization OutRight Action International on some of the plot points to make sure they were “responsible and accurate,” she told TV Line.
This is the second bisexual parent Ramirez has played—the first was Dr. Callie Torres on Grey’s Anatomy. Kudos to her for continuing to depict some of the many ways of being a bisexual parent, given the millions of real bisexual parents out there.
(If the embedded video doesn’t play for you, watch it here.)
