TV has gotten gay AF and it’s probably only going to get gayer
As the number of LGBTQ-identifying people continues to grow year after year in the real world, and that trend is also increasingly showing up on TV screens, with a record number of queer characters appearing during primetime.Media watchdog group GLAAD just released its 17th annual Where We Are on TV report, which tracks the diversity of primetime scripted series regulars on broadcast networks as well as the number of LGBTQ regular and recurring characters on primetime scripted cable programming and original scripted series on all major streaming services.Related: Elliot Page is about to spill some major Hollywood teaThis year’s data comes from shows that premiered or are expected to return between June 1, 2021 and May 31, 2022.
It found nearly 12 percent of series regular characters on scripted broadcast primetime programming are queer, representing an increase of 2.8 percent over the previous year, and marking a record high.Additionally, GLAAD reports there are 49 LGBTQ recurring characters on the platform, for a total of 141 LGBTQ characters on broadcast television.In another first since the group began tracking the data, lesbian characters are more represented than gay characters.Lesbian characters increased six percentage points from the previous season to rise to a total of 40 percent of LGBTQ characters, compared to 35 percent for gay characters, which is down five percentage points.Bisexual characters make up 19 percent of regular and recurring broadcast LGBTQ characters, up one percentage point after two years of decreases.Trans people are represented with 42 regular and recurring characters across all three platforms: broadcast, cable and streaming, up from 29 last year.
