GLAAD tells “failing” Hollywood studios to include LGBTQ characters in 50% of all films

Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) © Marvel

GLAAD’s annual Studio Responsibility Index has revealed that LGBTQ characters in movies declined last year with two studios given “failing” grades for their efforts.

GLAAD highlighted that out of the 109 films released by the studios in 2017, only 12.8% included LGBTQ characters, a drop of 5.6%. In 2016, it was 18.4%.

Also highlighted in the report was that none of the studios released any “transgender-inclusive films” during 2017.

The report singled out 20th Century Fox and Warner Brothers for “failing” to make enough LGBTQ-inclusive films but gave Universal credit for having double the number of inclusive films as the other studios.

While the film industry gets to grips with a lack of diversity and representation of minority groups, GLAAD has urged the studios to include LGBTQ characters in at least 20% of films by 2021 and 50% by 2024.

GLAAD found that 20% of Americans aged 18-34 identified themselves as LGBTQ however several studies by Gallup and The Public Religion Research Institute have put figures of people identifying themselves as LGBT at 4.1% and 4.4% of the population. Another 5% on average, are undecided.

Despite the lack of LGBTQ characters in 2017, GLAAD President Sarah Kate Ellis acknowledged that:

“There are many exciting LGBTQ-inclusive projects that have already been announced as heading into development, and the studios have many opportunities ahead in their already scheduled slates for authentic and meaningful LGBTQ representation. The lifecycle of a film is long, and the next two to three years are critical, as we will begin to see more films hitting theaters that were greenlit following the beginning of GLAAD’s SRI tracking.”

In contrast to films, GLAAD found that LGBTQ representation had increased in TV productions and that 6.4% of broadcast prime-time shows had LGBTQ characters in 2017, a new record.

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