October 5, 2012FIVE THINGS I HAVE TO SAY ABOUT ARIZONA’S MISSING LEG:
1. It felt real to me that Arizona would lose her leg. That someone we love so much would go from being ambulatory to WORKING on being ambulatory, that we would begin to understand what it is like to be differently abled from watching a person we love BECOME differently abled.
2. To all those of you who posited that Arizona lost a leg because she’s a lesbian, I say: WHA….???!!! Or maybe I should say: “There was a second shooter on a grassy knoll, Area 51 isn’t just a myth and AIDS was created by the government.” Or you know, “THAT IS INSANE!” We don’t punish people for their sexual preferences. That is so 1985. We allow people, no matter what their sexual preference, to have complex storylines. Arizona is a lesbian who also happens to lose her leg in a plane crash. Why? Because a) Jessica Capshaw is an AWESOME KICKASS actor who deserves a chance to showcase what she has to bring to the table (fyi, as does Arizona’s wife -- Sara Ramirez) and b) I felt it important to develop a storyline that detailed what happens when an able-bodied person loses a limb and then how that person resumes their life. It’s upsetting to me that “disabled” is a word that never enters into a conversation about how we live our lives. So, y’know, if you think she lost a leg because she is a lesbian, I say “GET A LIFE.” Or maybe “LOSE A LEG.” And then see how you feel about a sexy adorable person who happens to have a residual stump. Think about it. And then GET WITH THE PROGRAM. Please. Thank you.
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