GLAAD has released its annual report on LGBTQIA+ representation in television, and in an all-time high, series regulars on broadcast cable networks have hit 10.2%, up from 8.8%.
Breaking the numbers down, they looked at 111 primetime, scripted shows, and of the 879 series regulars, 90 identified as LGBT+, up from 2018’s 75 characters.
Of the US broadcast networks, The CW was ranked the highest, with 15.4% of its shows featuring LGBT+ series regulars, while on cable, Showtime won out, with 38 regular and recurring LGBTQ characters, with FX following closely, especially when it came to trans representation on their hit show Pose.
Streaming did well, especially when compared with broadcast and cable networks, with 109 regular characters, and 44 recurring, on Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu.
Of course, there’s always a catch, and for the GLAAD report, it’s that 29 of these series regulars will not be returning to screens next year.
“Last year, GLAAD called on the television industry to increase the number of LGBTQ characters and more accurately reflect the world we live in, and they responded by exceeding this challenge,” Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD, said in a statement.
“At a time when the cultural climate is growing increasingly divisive, increased representation of LGBTQ stories and characters on television is especially critical to advance LGBTQ acceptance. Shows like Pose, Schitt’s Creek, Batwoman, and Billions demonstrate that not only are LGBTQ stories and characters on TV becoming more diverse, but that viewers everywhere continue to respond with extreme positivity.”
For 2020, GLAAD has called on networks to focus on minimising queer tokenism, ie, one LGBT+ identifying character in an otherwise completely straight show.
Read the full report here.