GLAAD is revealing some major ways the entertainment industry can improve its LGBTQ representation. In the 12th annual Studio Responsibility Index, the organization found that LGBTQ representation in movies declined last year.
In the study, GLAAD examined 256 movie releases from 10 studios in 2023. Out of all of those films, only 70 contained an LGBTQ character. The stat is down more than percentage point from the prior year.
One hundred and seventy LGBTQ characters appeared in the inclusive films. That is 122 characters less than in 2022.
The inclusive films only featured two transgender characters, which is 11 fewer characters than in 2022.
Disabled LGBTQ representation was also down in 2023, as only two such characters made it on screen, as compared to 11 in 2022.
Though LGBTQ representation in movies was down in 2023, it’s not all bad news.
LGBTQ characters of color were up six percent from the previous year. Bisexual character inclusion also rose, coming in at 27 percent, an improvement of one percent from 2022. On top of that, LGBTQ characters clocked more screen time in 2023, with 38 percent gracing screens for more than 10 minutes. That number is up 5 percent from 2022.
As for the studios themselves, Apple TV+ received the sole failing grade, while Warner Bros. Discovery was rated poor. A24, Lionsgate, Paramount Global, Sony, Walt Disney were considered insufficient; NBCUniversal and Netflix were rated fair, and Amazon nabbed a score of good.
“As the industry continues to quickly evolve, audiences have more options than ever before as to how they spend their time and money,” Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD’s president and CEO, wrote in reference to this year’s results. “Major distributors wishing to maintain the attention of young diverse audiences must increase and expand their efforts and investment of time and resources to improve and market inclusive storytelling, as well as actively using their brand and platform to stand as an ally to the LGBTQ community.”
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