There were a record number of LGBTQ characters in the broadcast television season. The full report examined characters across broadcast, cable, and streaming, with the first-time inclusion of Apple TV+, Disney+, Paramount+, and Peacock.
Representation on-screen is a series of small victories. For the first time ever, the majority of LGBTQ characters on broadcast and cable television were lesbians.
Bisexual representation increased or decreased based on broadcast, cable and streaming. There were not many nonbinary characters on broadcast, but on cable and streaming. Intersex, asexual, and HIV positive characters are rare on television.
For the third year in a row, women outnumber men in the representation of LGBTQ characters on TV. Bisexual people make up 29 percent of the LGBTQ characters. According to the report, the numbers swing in favor of women, versus men and non-binary.
Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD President and CEO, said in a statement that the growing state of LGBTQ representation on television is a signal that Hollywood is starting to recognize the power of telling LGBTQ stories that audiences around the world connect with.
At a time when anti-LGBTQ legislation and violence continues to increase, it is cultural institutions like television that take on the crucial role of changing hearts and minds through diverse and inclusive stories. The trans community, people living with HIV, and people with disabilities are all stories that networks and platforms must continue to tell.
The Director of Entertainment Research and Analysis for GLAAD noted that there are certain networks and streaming platforms that tend to have a lot of LGBTQ characters. The first time overall queer representation declined on television was due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and subsequent production delays in Hollywood, prompting GLAAD to urge Hollywood to do better and work behind the scenes to ensure results.
There are more individuals of color on broadcast networks, but fewer shows with a queer lead or ensemble.
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