Out bisexual actress Janora McDuffie returned to Grey’s Anatomy in its season premiere on Thursday in a recurring role as a social worker named Janet. She was first introduced to fans last season and will be featured again in upcoming episodes in October.

McDuffie is one of the few openly bisexual women of color in the entertainment industry, and she has appeared in a number of projects in the past, including 24, Lie to Me, and the Beyoncé film Obsessed. She is the host of NoMoreDownLow.TV, an award-winning internet series which launched in October and promotes positive stories  gay black Americans, such as parenting and participation in a seven-day AIDS/LifeCycle bicycle ride.

She was one of the Advocate’s Forty Under 40 leaders of the LGBT community this year, and she told the magazine that she is proud to be out in the entertainment industry about her sexual orientation. “Magic happens when you stick to your guns and live with integrity and character — even in Hollywood,” she said, stating that she is excited to have the opportunity to make a difference. “It’s such a worthwhile experience working on something greater than myself.”

McDuffie was also selected as the Honorary Co-Chair of the 2011 Annual Hayti Heritage Film Fesitival in her hometown of Durham, North Carolina, and will have two films screened at the 2011 Pan African Film Festival. “Janora McDuffie made a choice after college to let her talents take her into her destiny. Today she is living her dream,” says the biography on her website.