Campaigning organization GLAAD says US TV is telling more LGBTQ stories and featuring more queer characters than ever before.
The findings came in its annual ‘Where We Are On TV’ report, which it released yesterday.
The report offers a “comprehensive forecast of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer (LGBTQ) characters expected in primetime scripted programming in the 2019-20 television season.”
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This is the 24th such report from GLAAD, which four years ago started to analyze original content produced for streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu, besides the major TV broadcast networks and cable.
It says we can look forward to more openly gay and trans characters than ever – thanks to shows such as Pose, The L Word and Batwoman.
Key findings included:
- Of the 879 series regular characters expected to appear on broadcast primetime scripted programming in the coming year, 90 (10.2%) are LGBTQ. This is a record number and an increase on last year’s 8.8%.
- In addition to those regular characters, there are another 30 recurring characters, bringing the total number of regular or recurring characters to 120.
- For the first time, women outnumber men. Of those 120, 53% are women and 47% are men (with one non-binary character).
- For the second year in a row, people of color (POC) LGBTQ outnumber white LGBTQ (52% over 48%) on broadcast networks.
- Looking at cable, it found regular and recurring LGBTQ characters increased to 215 – up from 208.
- Of the cable channels, Showtime comes out on top with 38 regular or recurring characters. The upcoming L Word reboot accounts for a chunk of this number. It was followed by FX and Freeform.
- On streaming services Netflix, Hulu and Amazon, there are 153 regular or recurring LGBTQ characters. Netflix featured the most amongst its original content.
- The number of trans characters rose across broadcast, cable, and streaming from 26 to 38.
- The only slight falls were in bisexual and asexual representation: Bisexual+ characters make up 26% of all LGBTQ characters across all three platforms – a 1% drop on last year.
- GLAAD noted only one asexual character – down from two last year: This is Todd Chavez on Netflix’s BoJack Horseman.
Although welcoming the findings, GLAAD is calling on the industry to do more. By 2025, it wants to see 20% of series regular characters on primetime scripted broadcast series as LGBTQ. It believes this will better reflect the society in which we live.
It released a survey in 2017 that found 20% of Americans aged 18-34 identified as LGBTQ.
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Announcing the report, Megan Townsend, Director of Entertainment Research & Analysis at GLAAD, said, “There is still work to be done. On cable TV, just three networks [Showtime, FX, and Freeform] account for 44 percent of all LGBTQ representation on primetime scripted series.
“Similarly, programming from four dedicated producers and creators who prioritize inclusion, Greg Berlanti, Lena Waithe, Ryan Murphy, and Shonda Rhimes, accounts for 14 percent of total LGBTQ characters across broadcast, cable, and streaming originals.
“We hope to see all networks follow their lead, and work towards reflecting the reality of their audience and the culture.”
GLAAD President Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement, “Shows like ‘Pose,’ ‘Schitt´s Creek,’ ‘Batwoman,’ and ‘Billions’ demonstrate that not only are LGBTQ stories and characters on television becoming more diverse, but also that viewers everywhere continue to respond with extreme positivity.”
chupacabra
“GLAAD President Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement, “Shows like ‘Pose,’ ‘Schitt´s Creek,’ ‘Batwoman,’ and ‘Billions’ demonstrate that not only are LGBTQ stories and characters on television becoming more diverse, but also that viewers everywhere continue to respond with extreme positivity.”
i’ve never heard of any of these “shows”.
geb1966
Do you not watch television AT ALL? Pose and Schitt’s Creek were both up for multiple Emmys this year. Pose broke ground and was ALL OVER the media when it debuted because of it’s trans representation. Batwoman also made television history as the first super hero show with a lesbian as the main character.
OzJosh
Congratulations! You are this year’s winner of The Most Clueless and Out of Touch person!!! Feel good?
Granny Spoth
I don’t care for woke, forced LGBT characters. They are boring. Cringey even.
I can’t stand it.
I hope it stops.
I literally used to prefer TV in less accepting times, before 2014 and the Great Awokening.
This is the difference between the third season of Teen Wolf (2013) and the fifth and sixth seasons.
At least gay characters were a nice surprise, when directors really had a story to tell about gay people, and made it extra tasteful, as they knew they were going to be rightfully judged.
The worst are the minor, guest characters that have rapid coming outs, when their sexuality brings absolutely nothing to the episode story.
I know that daily coming outs are part of life of gay people.
But there are hundreds of daily habit of perfectly normal people that rarely make it on TV, *because they serve absolutely no cinematographic purpose*. Characters poop once or twice a day. And you never see it mentioned.
Even Youtube vloggers know how to edit out boring parts of their vlogs.
This is telling. The only thing positive you have to say about the horrendous Batwoman show is that she is the first main character lesbian super hero.
THIS IS NOT WHAT MAKES A GREAT SHOW!
UlfRaynor
It’s not GLAAD’S fault if you’ve been living under a rock.
These are all rather popular shows.
My fave is Schitt’s Creek, (can also be found on Netflix) a well written same sex, mixed orientation relationship: Patrick (gay) and David (pansexual) is clever, funny and with lots of chemistry between the two actors.
Catholicslutbox
mostly gay women. Not very relate-able for most of us.
Kangol2
Quite a few gay & bisexual male characters on TV. You must be missing most of them.
theafricanwiththemouth
I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE SCHITT’S CREEK.
literally came for the gay content, but stayed for the QUALITY DAMÑ!
AMAZING SHOW. Family, Love, Emotions, Great comedic performances and amazing acting