LGBTQ characters are underrepresented on TV, according to the latest “Where We Are on TV” study from nonprofit media watchdog GLAAD.
During the 2023-24 television season, the percentage of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer series regulars on broadcast, cable and streaming platforms decreased compared to the previous season. More than a third will not return in 2024-25.
The study “uncovered a series of concerning reductions across the board over the past two years, along with a changing industry on all fronts that is seeing vertical integration and contracting of budgets and staff,” said Senior Director of Research and Analysis GLAAD Entertainment Director Megan Townsend said in a statement.
The study counted 77 LGBTQ characters on primetime cable TV shows in the 2023-24 TV season — 62 fewer than the last study. It also counted 327 LGBTQ characters in streaming original scripted programming – 29 fewer compared to the previous season.
Of the 468 LGBTQ characters counted across broadcast, cable and streaming platforms, 5.1% were transgender and 50% were characters of color. More than a third (36%) of LGBTQ characters will not return because of a series cancellation or ending, a show’s miniseries or anthology format, or a character dying or leaving the show.
GLAAD noted that LGBTQ-inclusive series, including “The Last of Us,” “The Umbrella Academy,” “Yellowjackets,” “Euphoria” and “Harlem,” were postponed by last year’s actor and writer strikes and are expected to return. The decrease in LGBTQ representation in the 2023-24 season was largely driven by show cancellations that preceded the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, the study said.
GLAAD cited a report from media research firm MRI-Simmons that found LGBTQ inclusion in entertainment is important to more than two in five American adults. Public relations firm WPP also found that the majority of LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ youth ages 18 to 24 seek out queer-inclusive programs.
GLAAD is calling on studios, networks and streaming services to develop more LGBTQ programming that “includes multi-season orders, immediate renewals, and a sustained investment in inclusive storytelling through significant marketing, promotion and production budgets given to new and recurring,” said Townsend.
