GLAAD’s 2023 Studio Responsibility Index Reports Sharp Increase in LGBTQ Characters of Color

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As a long-time advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and representation, I have followed GLAAD’s work closely over the years, admiring their tireless efforts to ensure that our voices are heard and our stories told accurately on the big screen. The latest Studio Responsibility Index report is a mixed bag, with progress made in some areas, such as increased representation of LGBTQ characters of color, but still falling short in others, like complete absence of Indigenous LGBTQ characters.

In simple terms, GLAAD published its 12th edition of the Studio Responsibility Index, which evaluates how various Hollywood studios portray LGBTQ characters in their films based on quantity, quality, and diversity. The results showed that most companies received poor scores, and overall, representation saw a slight decrease.

In order to gather the statistics, GLAAD looked into 256 movies released in 2023 by studios such as A24, Amazon, Apple TV+, Lionsgate, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Paramount Global, Sony Pictures Entertainment, the Walt Disney Company, and Warner Bros. Discovery (including their distribution labels and streaming services). The analysis revealed that 70 out of these 256 films (which is approximately 27.3%) had an LGBTQ character. This figure represents a decrease from the previous year’s record high of 100 out of 350 films (or 28.5%). The 70 movies in question featured a total of 170 LGBTQ characters, marking a decline of 122 compared to last year. Interestingly, among these 170 characters, 78 were portrayed as people of color, showing a significant increase of approximately 40%.

The report referred to the trend as a “positive surge” and pointed out movies like “Rustin, The Blackening, The Color Purple, Shortcomings, Joy Ride, The Persian Version, Cassandro” and others as contributors to this positive development. Conversely, GLAAD highlighted that in 2023, there were no Indigenous LGBTQ characters represented on screen, which is an area where Hollywood has a long history of falling short. The upcoming Lily Gladstone-led film “Fancy Dance” from Apple TV+ is set to be released in 2024, but GLAAD stated that “one movie isn’t enough” to make a significant impact.

Last year, GLAAD counted only two trans characters among the 170 characters from the movies ‘Next Goal Wins’ and ‘¡Que Viva Mexico!’. This is a decrease from the 13 trans characters seen in 2023. However, GLAAD cautioned that one of these films featured a trans character portrayed by a cisgender actor, which can perpetuate harmful stereotypes, implying that transwomen are just men wearing dresses.

In their latest assessment, GLAAD assigns overall scores to companies as a means to evaluate the portrayal of LGBTQ characters. Most of the distributors were given failing, inadequate, or poor grades, with A24, Apple TV+, Lionsgate, Paramount, Sony, and Disney among them. The exception was Amazon, which received a good rating.

Despite varying advancements in LGBTQ representation from significant studios annually, it’s evident that films featuring LGBTQ leads can indeed achieve both critical acclaim and commercial success – provided they receive wholehearted backing from their studio producers, as asserted by GLAAD president Sarah Kate Ellis.

The report comes on the heels of an investigation by The New York Times about Ellis and her questionable spending as the long-serving head of the organization. “I take my role as GLAAD’s financial steward incredibly seriously, and we’ll continue updating our procedures to keep pace with the organization’s rapid growth,” Ellis said in a statement in response. The story cited sources who claimed that her spending was more aligned with what is considered commonplace at for-profit companies rather than a nonprofit organization and that some of the receipts could be in violation of IRS rules.

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2024-09-17 16:25