Culture

LGBTQ+ representation on broadcast television reaches record high

By Conor Clark

17th February 2022

The 2021 to 2022 period saw a record high for LGBTQ+ representation and racial diversity on broadcast television in America, a study found.

GLAAD’s annual Where We Are on TV report was released on 17 February and revealed data on “the overall diversity of primetime scripted series regulars on broadcast networks and streaming services for the 2021-2022 TV season.”

The 17th annual study found that 11.9% of series regular characters scheduled to appear on scripted broadcast primetime programming were LGBTQ+, marking an increase of 2.8% from the year before as well as achieving a record high.

Another significant finding was that for the first time in the history of the report, lesbians made up the majority of LGBTQ+ characters on broadcast at a rate of 40% – up 6% from the year before.

Gay men followed at a rate of 35% (down 5% from the previous report), with bisexual+ representation increasingly by just 1% to 19% of all LGBTQ+ characters.

There were a total of 42 regular and recurring transgender characters across all platforms, up 20 from the previous year.

A further 17 characters appeared who were non-binary and not trans.

When it came to the racial diversity of LGBTQ+ characters, numbers were up on broadcast and streaming, but down on cable.

People of colour outweighed white queer characters on broadcast at 58%, though on cable this decreased to 45% and on streaming increased to 49%.

There was a drop in the number of characters living with HIV, with just two being shown compared to three a year earlier (all of which were on FX’s Pose).

“The growing state of LGBTQ representation on television is a signal that Hollywood is truly starting to recognize the power of telling LGBTQ stories that audiences around the world connect with,” said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. “At a time when anti-LGBTQ legislation and violence continues to increase, it is cultural institutions like television that take on the crucial role of changing hearts and minds through diverse and inclusive storytelling.

To read GLAAD’s full report, which looked at TV scheduled to appear from June 1, 2021 and May 31, 2022, click here.