Hi Friend!

Last Thursday, GLAAD released our eighth annual Studio Responsibility Index, tracking LGBTQ representation in major studio films in 2019. This report is essential for assessing the quality, quantity, and diversity of LGBTQ characters in films released annually and setting the path for representation moving forward.

One of GLAAD’s most significant contributions to the media landscape is assessing LGBTQ representation, and holding major players accountable when there are efforts to erase the experience of LGBTQ people. This year, the findings demonstrate the continued urgency behind this work, and underscore why this work needs your support.

GLAAD found that of the 118 films released from the eight major studios tracked in 2019, 22 (18.6%) included characters that were LGBTQ. This represents a slight increase from the previous year’s report (+0.4 percentage points) and the highest percentage of inclusive films found in the eight-year history of the report.

However, for the second year in a row, more than half of LGBTQ characters (56%) appeared for less than three moments of total screen time, with 21 of the 50 receiving less than one minute of screen time.

GLAAD further found a concerning continuing downward trend in representation of LGBTQ people of color as, for the second year in a row, there was a significant decrease in the racial diversity of LGBTQ characters in major films. In 2019, just 34 percent (17) of LGBTQ characters were people of color. This is down from 42 percent in the previous report and from 57 percent in the year before that.

Transgender characters were completely absent from major studio films, and only three movies included bisexual characters.

Two years ago, GLAAD issued a challenge - 20 percent of annual major studios releases must include LGBTQ characters by the 2021-year’s end, and that 50 percent include LGBTQ characters by year ending 2024. This year, we are extending that challenge to ensure that within the next two years, at least half of LGBTQ characters in major studio films are people of color.

These challenges are key drivers towards ensuring that the entertainment on our screens is actually reflective of the world in which we live and the audiences who consume it.

Your membership support makes this critical work possible. Please make a gift now to ensure that the fight for representation can continue in these uncertain times by clicking here. 

Sincerely,
Your friends at GLAAD 

PS.

Learn more about the full report and what LGBTQ-inclusive films could be coming next at glaad.org/sri.