Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rimes: I really hate the word ‘diversity’
Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal creator Shonda Rimes has spoken about why she hates the word ‘diversity’ – while accepting an award from the Human Rights Campaign.
Rimes was awarded Ally for Equality by out Scandal star Guillermo Diaz during the ceremony this weekend for the LGBT rights group.
Speaking to accept the award, she said: “I really hate the word ‘diversity’.
“It is just something other. Something special, like it’s rare.
“It’s diversity… as if there is something unusual about telling stories about women or people of colour or LGBT characters on TV.
“I have a different word. I call it ‘normalizing.’
“I’m normalizing TV… I am making TV look like the world looks.
“Women, people of colour, LGBTQ people equal way more than 50 percent of the population. Which means it ain’t out of the ordinary.”
“You should get to turn on your TV and see your tribe. Your tribe can be any kind of person, anyone you identify with — anyone who feels like you, who feels like home, who feels like truth.”
“I don’t know if anyone has noticed, but I only ever write about one thing: being alone.
“The fear of being alone, the desire to not be alone, the attempts we make to find our person, to keep our person, to convince our person to not leave us alone, the joy of being with our person and thus no longer alone, the devastation of being left alone. The need to hear the words: You are not alone.”
