3.9 Percent of TV Characters are Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual, Report Finds

Of the 813 regular characters on broadcast network scripted television series in the upcoming season, 3.9 percent are lesbian, gay or bisexual, up slightly from the previous season, according to a report released today by the advocacy group GLAAD.

The study, called “Where We Are on TV,” found that 32 regular characters on scripted network shows will be lesbian, gay or bisexual in the coming season. At 3.9 percent, the level of representation is up from 3.3 percent in the previous season but down from the 2012 record of 4.4 percent, according to GLAAD.

The report also found that the programs will have 33 recurring characters who are lesbian, gay or bisexual.

None of the broadcast series characters were identified as transgender, according to the report.

Fox leads the broadcast networks for LGBT characters, at 6.5 percent, followed by ABC at 4.5 percent, NBC at 3.8 percent and CBS at 3.2 percent. The CW has no regular LGBT characters, according to the report.

Out of the 813 regular characters, 40 percent will be female, down from 43 percent last year, while 27 percent will be “people of color” and 1.4 percent will be disabled, according to the report.

Cable programs will have 64 regular LGBT characters, up from 42 last season, along with 41 recurring characters. HBO leads the pack with 15 regular or recurring LGBT characters.

“Television networks are playing a key role in promoting cultural understanding of LGBT lives around the world, and are no producing some of the best LGBT-inclusive programming we’ve yet seen,” GLAAD President/CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said. “As they move forward with new programs and storylines, networks must also keep an eye towards diversity and strive to include significant transgender content comparable to those efforts being made by their online competitors, such as Netflix’s ‘Orange is the New Black’ and Amazon’s ‘Transparent.”’

In a separate report, the “Network Responsibility Index,” GLAAD gave grades of “excellent” to ABC Family, HBO and MTV for LGBT-inclusive content in programming that aired between June 2013 and May 2014.

ABC, The CW, Fox, NBC, FX and Showtime were rated as “good,” while CBS, TLC and USA were given “adequate” ratings. A&E, History and TNT were rated as “failing.”

“This recognition from GLAAD belongs to those in the writing room, on set and in the editing bay, but we are honored to be their partner and provide a home where they can tell their stories,” HBO president of programming Michael Lombardo said. “At HBO we feel if we are not telling diverse stories then we are missing out on some of the best stories.”

--City News Service

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