More Lesbians on Broadcast TV than Gay Men for First Time

It’s a good year for LGBTQ+ representation on TV — indeed, a record one, according to GLAAD’s annual Where We Are on TV report. The report, released Thursday morning, found that 11.9 percent of series regular characters scheduled to appear on broadcast scripted prime-time TV this season are LGBTQ+ — an increase of 2.8 percentage points from last year and a record-high percentage in the history of the report, now in its 17th edition.

“The growing state of LGBTQ representation on television is a signal that Hollywood is truly starting to recognize the power of telling LGBTQ stories that audiences around the world connect with,” GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a press release. “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 storytelling. Networks and platforms must continue to prioritize telling LGBTQ stories that have been long overlooked, with a specific focus on the trans community, LGBTQ people of color, people living with HIV, and LGBTQ people with disabilities.”

Of the 775 series regular characters scheduled to appear on scripted broadcast prime-time programming for the 2021-2022 season, 92 are LGBTQ+, according to the report. There are an additional 49 LGBTQ+ recurring characters. The report covers programs that have premiered or are expected to premiere between June 1, 2021, and May 31, 2022.

For the first time in the report’s history, lesbian characters represented the largest proportion of the LGBTQ+ characters on broadcast at 40 percent (56 characters), up six percentage points from the previous season. Gay men made up 35 percent (49) of characters, a decrease of five percentage points from last year. Bisexual+ representation increased very slightly this year, after two years of decreases. Bi+ characters represented 19 percent (27) of regular and recurring LGBTQ+ characters, an increase of one percentage point from last year. GLAAD also tracked LGBTQ+ representation on cable and streaming services. It found 87 LGBTQ+ series regular characters on prime-time scripted cable shows, up from 81 the previous season. The number of recurring LGBTQ+ characters increased from 37 to 51. The total of 138 regular and recurring LGBTQ+ characters was up from 118 in the past year but down significantly from the total of 215 two years ago in the last report before the COVID-19 pandemic.

https://www.advocate.com/television/2022/2/17/more-lesbians-broadcast-tv-gay-men-first-time-reported-history