Media is nortorious for getting LGBTQ+ representation wrong. Whether that is queerbaiting, over-the-top stereotypes or overtly offensive caricatures, it seems like my twitter is constantly filled with examples of the media misrepresenting the LGBTQ+ community.
The major issue with criticising the queer representation in media, though, is that it is near impossible to know where the issues stem from. For example, it’s sometimes the networks which prevent a queer character from being aired on TV – as seen when the relationship between Neptune and Uranus was not allowed on American TV (and, even worse, they were portrayed as cousins!). Alternatively, poor representation can come from poor writing; the 2019 Dr Who New Year Special used the ‘bury your gays’ trope and potentially set a record – they introduced a gay character and killed him off within 30 seconds.
In this article, however, I want to focus on some of the research GLAAD has compiled on LGBTQ+ representation in media and at the end suggest some paths forward both for industry and consumer. It is important to note that GLAAD is an American corporation and thus the statistics on TV are likely different in the UK.
GLAAD released 3 major reports I will be referencing – one into LGBTQ+ representation in American TV (2019/20), another their ‘Studio Responsibility Index‘ (2018), and finally their ‘Inclusion in Advertising‘ report.
Where We Are on TV (2019-2020) Report
Within their ‘Where We Are on TV‘ report, GLAAD did statistical research on the representation of LGBTQ+ people within different areas of TV – Broadcast Networks, Cable Networks and Streaming Networks. When looking at Streaming Networks*, they only included new original shows – not previous seasons that are still accessible, and not shows these networks did not produce.
Among their statistical research, GLAAD also provides recommendations to these networks to ensure that they remain as diverse as they currently are, and can improve their diversity further.
After doing a summary of each of these services, there are further, indepth sections around minorities within the LGBTQ+ community which includes (but is not limited to) gender representation, race and ethnicity, and disability.
Throughout this report, there are references to different studies which estimate the percentage of Americans are LGBTQ+. GLAAD’s Accelerating Acceptance 2019 study found that roughly 20% are LGBTQ+.
Some key findings in this report are:
- Cable TV had 121 regular characters and 94 recurring characters that were LGBTQ+.
- Streaming Networks had 109 regular characters and 44 recurring characters were LGBTQ+.
- Bisexual+ characters were 26% of all LGBTQ+ characters, which breaks down as 90 women, 36 men and two non-binary individuals.
- There are 38 transgender characters – 21 trans women, 12 trans men, 5 non-binary people – and 82% of these are played by trans actors.
- Unfortunately, there is only 1 asexual character.
- 46% of LGBTQ+ characters on Broadcast Networks were women (new record).
- On Broadcast Networks, 47% of characters were BAME.
- Only 3.1% of regular characters were protrayed as having a disability.
- 9 of the characters had HIV and AIDS.
*Streaming Services in this report refer to Amazon, Hulu and Netflix
Key Terms:
- Regular characters – These characters appear in almost every episode of a TV show. For example, Captain Holt.
- Recurring characters – These characters appear more frequently than guest characters, but aren’t expected in most episodes. For example, Doug Judy.
- Bisexual+ – GLAAD appears to use this term to encorporate those who identify as being attracted to more than one gender into a single category.
Studio Responsibility Index (2019) Report
The SRI 2019 report is written to monitor major studio films and to assess how well they are doing in representing the LGBTQ+ community. In this report, they analyse the 7 studios which had the highest gross in 2018. It only covers films released between 01/01/2018 and 31/12/2019, and does not include re-releases or special events. ‘Art House’ divisions (such as Fox Searchlight) are analysed in the report, but do not count towards the representation of the main film studio. They also collected data around screen time, gender, genre etc.
In addition to this research, they also conduct the Vito Russo test on each film:
- The film contains an LGBTQ+ character that is identified.
- The character cannot be solely or predominantly defined by their sexual orientation or gender identity
- This means that the character is three dimensional and has unique character traits.
- The character must be important to the plot – you wouldn’t be able to remove them without a significant effect.
GLAAD found that 13 of the 20 2018 LGBTQ+ inclusive films passed the Vito Russo test – this is 65%.
Important findings:
- Only 20 out of 110 (18.2%) films contained an LGBTQ+ character – however this is a major improvement on the 12.8% of films that has LGBTQ+ characters last year.
- 55% of these films contain gay men, 55% included lesbians, 15% included bisexual individuals, and 0% included trans characters.
- There were 45 characters in these films – 26 men and 19 women.
- 42% of these characters were BAME.
- Comedy and Drama were the most inclusive genres, while family and documentary films contained 0 characters.
- Universal was the most inclusive at 6 films (30%), while Disney was the least inclusive.
- Two studios are awarded 4 stars (Good). These are 20th Century Fox and Universal.
LGBTQ Inclusion in Advertising and Media
This survey does not look into what percentage of advertising and media includes LGBTQ+ individuals, but rather it is measuring how ‘the attitudes of non-LGBTQ Americans to exposure of LGBTQ people and images in the media’.
Interesting findings:
- 86% of those who took the survery know someone is LGBTQ+. 85% know someone who is not heterosexual, and 34% know someone who is not cisgender.
- 76% are comfortable with LGBTQ characters in shows/movies. 75% are comfortable seeing LGBTQ people in commercials. 70% are comfortable with LGBTQ+ families in advertisement.
- 52% were exposed to LGBTQ people in advertising in the last 3 months. 70% were exposed to LGBTQ people in movies/TV.
For more indepth analysis, check out the tables provided in he document (free to access) as they go into circumstances such as finding out your doctor is LGBTQ+.
So what can a company do to tell authentic queer stories?
- Hire LGBTQ+ staff to create these stories. This isn’t just hiring a white cis gay guy and calling it a day – it means ensuring that you have BAME LGBTQ+ people, trans people, and other minotiries on the team to ensure that there is an element of own voice in these films and tv shows as these create the most authentic stories.
- Do not be afraid of consumers – the GLAAD studies show that there is a large need for LGBTQ+ characters; there is a higher desire for LGBTQ+ content than there is voices against it.
- Ensure that TV shows have at least one queer character. It is unrealistic to have a cast of 10-20 people without at least one of them being LGBTQ+. This is especially important in cartoons where it is much more likely for a queer character to not be created.
To conclude,
The findings of this study send a strong message to brands and media outlets that including LGBTQ+ people in ads, films and TV is good for business and good for the world.
Sarah Kate Ellis – President and CEO, GLAAD
LGBT+ Student Stories 
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