GLAAD report reveals decline in LGBTQ representation on TV
GLAAD’s latest “Where We Are On TV” report is in, and it shows “concerning decreases” in LGBTQ characters and storylines on primetime scripted broadcast programming.¹
According to GLAAD president Sarah Kate Ellis, the declines are especially concerning given the continuing escalation of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric as the 2024 campaign season heats up.
“We know it is imperative for the queer community, especially transgender people, to see our lives reflected on screen to counteract the misinformation and harmful rhetoric going unchecked by politicians and journalists,” Ellis said in a statement. “And we know that younger audiences are hungry for shows that truly reflect the world around them. The answer behind impactful and long-lasting television is right there for studio executives, showrunners and Hollywood at-large and the stakes could not be higher.”
If you’re interested in exploring the larger context behind these new trends, especially how cultural politics, economic pressures, changing technologies, and increased vertical integration have shaped LGBTQ representations over time, don’t miss Katherine Sender’s acclaimed new documentary Beyond the Straight and Narrow.
The film, the latest installment in Sender’s groundbreaking, decades-long series on LGBTQ television representations, untangles the cultural, political, economic, and technological forces that have helped pave the way for the unprecedented range of queer and transgender representations we see on American television today. The film also considers the political implications of these gains against the backdrop of an accelerating right-wing backlash against LGBTQ visibility in our politics, schools, athletics, and public spaces. With commentary and analysis from leading media scholars, journalists, actors, and activists, Beyond the Straight and Narrow is an indispensable tool for opening up discussion about the relationship between media representations, corporate power, and long-fought battles over who gets to exist in our national imagination.
Beyond the Straight and Narrow is now available to purchase in a variety of formats.
(1) “The Number of LGBTQ Characters in TV Is Declining, GLAAD Study Finds,” Raquel Harris, The Wrap, April 30, 2024.
PRAISE FOR BEYOND THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW
“The previous Straight and Narrow films established a gold standard for educational docs, and true to its title, Beyond the Straight and Narrow is even better. A wonderful addition to your classroom and/or viewing queue, it ranges across a huge number of LGBTQ+ representations with commanding brilliance, incisive commentary, and a refreshingly welcome focus on intersectional depictions.”
— Jonathan Gray | Hamel Family Distinguished Chair in Communication Arts, University of Wisconsin – Madison
“Beyond the Straight and Narrow does an excellent job of exploring how LGBTQ representation in [a] complex and ever-changing world has often shifted for the better, and how it is at once empowering and yet still so fragile across multiple media domains.”
— Yasmin Nair | Writer, Activist, Academic, and co-founder of the radical queer editorial collective Against Equality
“Beautifully explains how mainstream media functions, and for whom. If you want to genuinely, accurately understand queer images today watch [this film].”
— Michael Bronski | Professor of the Practice in Activism and Media Studies of Women, Gender and Sexuality at Harvard University and author of A Queer History of the United States
“Richly entertaining as well as informative, Beyond the Straight and Narrow weaves together a complicated account of progress and remaining limitations.”
— Amanda Lotz | Professor at Queensland University and author of The Television Will Be Revolutionized
“Nuanced … Makes clear that we cannot assume that mainstream representation of LGBTQ people simply improves over time or that we can take any gains seen for granted.”
— Adrienne Shaw | Associate Professor of Media Studies and Production at Temple University
“Offers an outstanding compendium of television and streaming shows featuring queer, bisexual, gay, lesbian, trans and nonbinary characters and content, accessibly framed by experts in queer media studies….Will be of great use to secondary school educators as well as those in media studies and LGBTQ+ studies at more advanced levels.”
— Finn Enke | Professor of Gender and Women’s Studies, History, LGBTQ+ Studies at University of Wisconsin, Madison
“Taking us on a journey through fictional dramas, reality shows, children’s cartoons, web series, and telenovelas, Beyond the Straight and Narrow proceeds with hope and caution to offer an absorbing take on the complex historical development.”
— Lukas Szulc | Senior Lecturer in Digital Media and Culture at the University of Manchester
“Television, historically so suppressive of and hostile towards LGBTQ representations, is now swimming with them. Compelling and entertaining, Beyond the Straight and Narrow offers a clear-eyed, smart, and nuanced account of how we got here and why it matters.”
— Joshua Gamson | Professor of Sociology at University of San Francisco and author of Freaks Talk Back: Tabloid Talk Shows and Sexual Nonconformity
