Released by LGBTQ media advocacy group GLAAD, the 12th annual Studio Responsibility Index tracking movies from 2023 was released, according to news coverage by NBC News. The analysis revealed that notwithstanding “a huge increase in LGBTQ characters who were front and center in their narratives,” the number of films featuring LGBTQ characters fell in 2023.
The poll included 256 films from 10 major distributors and their subsidiaries as well as streaming providers. According to GLAAD, studios can use the index as a road map to pinpoint areas of need and chances to boost equitable, accurate, and inclusive LGBTQ depiction and narrative.
Important results of the research included:
Key findings of the study included:
- 70 of the 256 films, or 27.3%, contained an LGBTQ character, a decrease from 28.5% in 2022.
- Those 70 films included 170 LGBTQ characters, of which 46% were characters of color, representing an increase of 6% from the 2022 study.
- Of the 170 LGBTQ characters surveyed, only two were transgender, from the films “Next Goal Wins” and “¡Que Viva Mexico!,” down from 13 the previous year. GLAAD noted the “¡Que Viva Mexico!” character was played by a cisgender man and called the number “alarmingly low.”
- Just two of the 170 LGBTQ characters had a disability, a decrease from 11 in the previous year.
Apart from GLAAD’s Vito Russo Test, a series of criteria to examine how characters are included in a movie, the study evaluated the 10 distributors based on quality, quantity, and variation of LGBTQ inclusion. While Amazon was good, Apple TV+ was failing, Lionsgate was inadequate, NBCUniversal and Netflix were fair, Paramount Global, Sony, and Walt Disney Studios were insufficient, and Warner Bros. Discovery was terrible. Distributor ratings deemed A24 to be insufficient. (NBC News is the parent business of NBCUniversal.)
“Though there is inconsistent progress on LGBTQ representation from major distributors year to year, recent films with LGBTQ leads prove that our stories can be both critical and commercial successes — when they have the full support of the studio behind them,” GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis remarked in a statement.
“Major distributors must deepen investment and intention in storytelling efforts to keep the attention of rising youthful diverse audiences, who want for stories that reflect their experience and values. The model of cinema production and distribution is always changing. These businesses will become less relevant with a vital buying base if LGBTQ representation keeps dropping in big releases. GLAAD is dedicated to working with studios and the creative community, strengthening our efforts to make sure we meet this moment together.
Senior director of entertainment research and analysis Megan Townsend of GLAAD noted that the drop in trans representation especially worried her.
“From 12 titles to just two — and one of those films was blatantly transphobic — this year’s study revealed a notable and alarming drop in representation of transgender characters and stories,” she said. “We know that less than 30% of American adults personally know someone who is transgender, so they may be more prone to lies and false information about trans people shared by anti-transgender politicians and activists.”
GLAAD is leading projects including the GLAAD List of unproduced scripts; the Communities of Colour team which started the Black Queer Creative Summit and Equity in Media and Entertainment Initiative; GLAAD Spirit Day on October 17; GLAAD Media Institute and GLAAD research department. Aiming for more representation in LGBTQ content, GLAAD.
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