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Gay.com Network

Lesbians to ER code red!

by Christine Champagne

ER gets Lesbian-Friendly

If you haven't been watching ER this season, you'd better tune in—stat.

Over the last few weeks, Dr. Kerry Weaver (Laura Innes) has gotten awfully close to hospital psychiatrist Dr. Kim Legaspi (Elizabeth Mitchell). In fact, over dinner during a recent episode, Dr. Legaspi threw Dr. Weaver for a loop when she informed her that she thought they were out on a date. Dr. Weaver said she was straight and wasn't interested in more than a friendship. But her nervous response seemed to indicate that she wasn't quite so sure about that. So what's next?

According to ER co-executive producer Meredith Stiehm, the storyline comes to a head in the Dec. 14 episode (airing at 10 p.m. ET on NBC). "Weaver is hoping that she can maintain a friendship with Legaspi. But Legaspi's very clear about what she wants. So Weaver can't have it half way. She has to decide is it all or nothing? And she definitely comes to a decision," Stiehm reveals.

While Dr. Weaver has never expressed romantic feelings for a woman before, her interest in Dr. Legaspi, an engaging beauty with brains to boot, seems plausible. "It snuck up on Dr. Weaver the way it snuck up on viewers," Stiehm says, noting that finding a love interest for Dr. Weaver isn't so easy.

"It is hard to find someone who is a good match because she's so formidable," Stiehm notes.

When casting actresses for the part of Dr. Legaspi, it was crucial to find a woman Dr. Weaver would truly be intrigued by. Mitchell, whose credits including the TV movie The Linda McCartney Story and the soap Loving as well as the feature films Frequency and Nurse Betty, fit the bill.

"She's very self-assured and has so much presence," Stiehm says. "She and Weaver have a nice relationship. They seem at ease with each other."

Is there a possibility that their relationship may be a long-term one? "It could be longer," Stiehm teases.

"Dr. Legaspi is definitely part of the fabric of our characters now. She's in our mix. So she's not going anywhere."

Certainly, many ER fans would agree that work-obsessed Dr. Weaver deserves a personal life. "People are saying, 'It's high time for that.' I've heard that an awful lot," Stiehm says laughing.