"20 years ago, GLAAD began tracking the number of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) characters on television, and at the time, you could count them on one hand."
That's how GLAAD C.E.O. Sarah Kate Ellis introduces this year's GLAAD "Where We Are on TV" report. The latest report, now in its 20th year, confirms that the television landscape is changing -- slowly, perhaps, but surely.
[seealso slug="glaad-report-on-tv-networks"]
The full report, which examines TV programs airing from June 1, 2015 to May 31, 2016, can be downloaded from the GLAAD website. Some of its key findings:
Broadcast needs to step up its game
The number of regular LGBT characters on cable shows increased from 64 to 84 (out of 142 characters total), with 58 recurring LGBT characters (up from 41 last year). GLAAD acquired data from streaming services for the first time (Netflix, Amazon, Hulu), and found 43 LGBT characters out of 59 regulars. In contrast, the broadcast networks have 881 regular characters -- a mere 35 of whom are LGBT this year.
Streaming services offer the most trans representation
Trans representation is still relatively new to television -- but online streaming services are leading the charge. GLAAD found that 7% of characters on streaming services were trans, and that Netflix and Amazon both showcase trans leads (on Sense8 and Transparent). There were three recurring trans characters on cable, and none found on the major broadcast networks.
Bisexual representation needs work
Though bisexual representation increased on broadcast and cable, "unfortunately, many of these characters still fall into dangerous stereotypes about bisexual people," the report says. That means bisexual characters depicted as manipulative, untrustworthy, unable to commit, or prone to infidelity. Sometimes, bisexuality was used merely as a plot device.
Racial diversity is still an issue
"All three programming platforms need to include more racially diverse LGBT characters," the report reads. 287 of the characters on broadcast qualify as racially diverse -- that's 33%. On streaming it was 25% of a much smaller pool, with cable offering the least ethnic diversity.
Women are still underrepresented
43% of regular primetime characters are female (up from 40% last year), but this still doesn't reflect the general population, where women make up 51%. Of the 145 black characters on broadcast primetime, only 41% were female (59 characters).
Disability representation is down
After increasing for two years, the percentage of characters portrayed living with disabilities decreased this year, to 0.9%. There is only one character across the combined pool of broadcast and cable who is HIV-positive.
The network with the most racial diversity: NBC
The network with the most female representation: FOX
The bottom line:
"The critical and commercial success of series like Empire, Transparent, and Orange Is the New Black can serve as an example to network executives that audiences are looking for stories they haven’t seen before," Ellis said in the report. "Indeed, there are still plenty of stories about our community yet to be told."