GLAAD’s “Where We Are On TV” Study Shows Declines in LGBTQ

GLAAD's "Where We Are On TV" Study Shows Declines in LGBTQ

Our friends over at GLAAD have released their 19th edition of "Where We Are On TV" report, mapping out representation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer characters during the 2023-24 television season. As we know, there have been some major shifts in the social and political spectrum towards our community, coupled with changes and merges of streaming platforms, continual presence by the LGBTQ arena is crucial. GLAAD started tracking this information during the 1996-97 TV season and since then, there's been +1276% growth.

 

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Even with the growth overall over the years, there have been some declines this season. 8.6% of series regulars across primetime scripted broadcast programming were LGBTQ, a decrease of 31 characters and 2% from the previous year. There were 49 LGBTQ series regulars and 28 LGBTQ recurring characters on primetime scripted cable, a decrease of 62 characters from the previous report. GLAAD counted 208 LGBTQ series regular characters and 119 recurring LGBTQ characters on streaming scripted original programming, a decrease of 29 characters from last season's study. Over all of the platforms (broadcast, cable, and streaming), there were 468 cases of LGBTQ representation, with a decrease of 8 trans characters from last season. From that 468, there was a decrease of 72 characters that were POC. 72! From that 468, at least 170 characters will not be returning next season due to show cancellations, a project being a limited series, a character dying, or an actor leaving the show. Over all of the representation across the board, only one character was featured living with HIV - Jonathan Bailey as Tim Laughlin in Showtime’s Fellow Travelers. 

 

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GLAAD President & CEO, Sarah Kate Ellis released the following statement:

“The findings from this year’s 'Where We Are on TV' study reveal several inarguable truths when it comes to LGBTQ storytelling. We know LGBTQ-inclusive series can indeed be successful, as demonstrated by shows like The Last of Us and Yellowjackets. We know it is imperative for the queer community, especially transgender people, to see our lives reflected on screen to counteract the misinformation and harmful rhetoric going unchecked by politicians and journalists. And we know that younger audiences are hungry for shows that truly reflect the world around them. The answer behind impactful and long-lasting television is right there for studio executives, showrunners, and Hollywood at-large and the stakes could not be higher.”

A factor contributing to some of the decline is due to the strikes that affected writers and actors. But, according to GLAAD's data, the biggest factor is due to canceled shows. 112 of the 468 characters will not be returning due to a show's cancellation or ending. Of that number, 55% are characters of color. Some of the data indicates that people are waiting for a series finale to stream a show, or wait to see if a show ends up being canceled before investing time.

 

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GLAAD continues to work with and urge Hollywood to include more diversity from the community in programming. GLAAD's entire study, with its recommendations, can be found here.

Have any of your favorite LGBTQ-inclusive shows been canceled?

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