Beautifully written post, but I have to disagree with one part in particular and I guess it doe to show just how subjective viewing experiences are. You are correct in saying that stories of LGBTQ+ are often portrayed as unstable, toxic and dramatic - and this is precisely how I see the relationship between Izzie and Casey. Izzie was a bully. She treated Casey horribly, and in a weak attempt to humanize a perceived 'antagonist' the writer's gave her this sob story which made me feel no different toward Izzie. Then Izzie intentionally confuses Casey for two seasons (who is in a committed relationship with someone else) and takes advantage of that confusion; inserting herself into Casey's family, her life, and her home. She sprinkles seeds of doubt about Evan in Casey's mind, making fun of him, blatantly being rude to him, excluding him, and honestly, as we saw with Casey at the beginning of their friendship, bullying him. She is clearly toxic. She then moves into Casey's house, and while having no regard that she's infiltrated Casey's personal space, and while Casey's dating another person, decides that this would be the right time to tell Casey that she has feelings for her. She then proceeds to be ANGRY with Casey (???) for not reciprocating those feelings... all the while no one's talking about the fact that Casey is going through something very confusing and emotionally troubling herself and can't even come home to reflect and decompress at her home because Izzie (the stressor) is there. THEN, come episode 8, Casey, who is so vehemently against cheating, that she (rightfully so) rejected her own mother for cheating on her father (which is a MAJOR part of Casey's character, btw, her virtues) CHEATS ON HER LOVING BOYFRIEND to explore feelings for another person. If Izzie was never a character, the idea of Casey cheating on Evan is incomprehensible because there was no indication of her being unhappy with Evan and her opposition to cheating is so extreme given her relationship with her mother they've built up over the seasons. And if Izzie was a boy, everyone would be furious because at the end of the day, Casey cheated on her loving partner. But because Izzie is a girl, this is supposed to be seen as progressive and okay. I think the writer's are LGBTQ+-baiting. I think they're showing the reality of sexual fluidity in a really bad light and suggesting that it's OKAY to cheat on your partner if you feel something for someone of the opposite gender. And I don't think it's okay. I agree that people love who they love, and there's no point in defining sexual preferences (which I do like that they haven't done that). But the fact is, Izzie is not a good person (clearly, despite her sob story), and ultimately, she made Casey do something that totally goes against everything Casey supposedly values - trust, and honesty. And in the midst of all this another person (Evan) has been completely discarded, rejected, cheated on, and a flimsy sub-plot for Casey's character evolution.