GLAAD 'Where We Are on TV'

The GLAAD ‘Where We Are on TV’ report came out earlier this month, so I wanted to talk about what the data has shown since these statistics were launched in 2006. When the surveys started, 1.3% of series regulars were LGBTQ+. There was a steady overall increase, with a few small decreases; for example, in 2010-2011, 3.9% of characters were LGBTQ, and in 2011-2012, it dropped a full percentage point to 2.9%. Similarly, the 2012-2013 results showed 4.4% of characters were LGBTQ+, but then in 2013-2014, only 3.3% of characters were LGBTQ+. Ups and downs such as that continued, though overall it trended upward.

What I find most interesting is that the 2019-2020 season had the first double digits with 10.2%, then the 2021-2022 season had 11.9% of characters being LGBTQ+, and 2022-2023 was still in the double digits with 10.6% of characters being LGBTQ+. However, both the 2023-2024 season and 2024-2025 dropped out of the double-digit range, with 8.6% of characters LGBTQ+ last year and 9.3% this year. What’s notable about this year is that per GLAAD, of the 489 LGBTQ regular or recurring characters, 201 are not expected to return to their series. So, as things stand now, it looks like the trend down from the last couple of years will likely continue.