The number of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) characters on broadcast TV is again on the rise, according to a new report from The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). The group’s 14th annual TV study found that 18 LGBT characters will account for 3% of primetime scripted series regulars in the 2009-2010 broadcast TV season. That’s up from 1.3% in 2006, 1.1% in 2007 and 2.6% in 2008.
New LGBT characters include bisexual Ella on Melrose Place, Southland’s gay police officer John Cooper, Modern Family’s gay couple Mitchell and Cameron, and coming-out high schooler Kurt on Glee.
ABC continues to lead the networks with eight LGBT characters, or 5% of its 168 total series regulars. Fox, which had no regular LGBT characters two years ago, now has 4 characters (4%). NBC has 3 characters (3%), The CW has two (3%), but CBS had no LGBT characters out of its 132 regulars.
The LGBT characters on scripted cable series declined, from 40 in 2007 to 32 in 2008 to 25 this year (that doesn’t include the 27 LGBT regulars on niche cable channels here! and Logo).
“Our analysis also shows where there’s still work to be done. This past year, we’ve seen real progress from many networks toward making their scripted programming more LGBT inclusive,” GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios said in a statement. “At the same time, we continue to advocate that other networks including CBS follow suit and that networks across the board better reflect the diversity of the LGBT community.”
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i love kurt off of glee
Only 1 gay character on Glee? Seems like it should count as more… that whole show is gay, gay, gay.
I say its wrong to have a young woman or young man to play a Gay or Lesbian in a movie or Tv series.Thats sending the wrong message.I say its not right.Bad Role models for young Adults.
Bad role model? Oh dear…Ignorance is bliss right?
Surely having a younger LGBT character on tv makes it easier for real life LGBT children and teenagers to see that they’re not freaks, or “bad role models” to society?
Your bigotry, Samantha, makes you a bad role model for young adults.
YES! exactly. and OBVIOUSLY.
Congrats. You win today’s award for the Most Ignorant Comment. BTW, you need grammar lessons.
Ew? What’s your childhood trauma, Samantha?
hahahaha. cordy. me likes.
Does it chafe you to know that the actor who plays Kurt is also gay as well? And he’s only 19, so I guess that by playing a gay teen he flipped the “Queer Switch” and forgot how to turn it off! Oh Samantha, it’s so sad and yet oddly amusing that people like you still exist…
You’re right. The better message is to pretend it doesn’t exist so that people who are gay feel like alien freaks from outer space, or young people who are just realizing they are gay become deeply ashamed of it and become suicidal, depressed or addicted.
Yes, and you Christian right-wing nuts are so much better suited for leading our youth. God forbid.
shame on you samantha ! roles like those help to show diversity in tv. and reflect the way the world is . and give real people a image to belive in. its a big colorful world out there , you might want to open your eyes to it.
Yeah because all those straight characters on TV are such awesome role models…stop worrying about TV characters raising your kids and being their role models and do it yourself.
Who cares?
Really… GLAAD is nothing more than a Hollywood/Media driven agenda who think they are more “important” than straight people… Get over it already!
I completely agree.
Who cares? Well, the parents of gay and lesbian kids who killed themselves because of bigots like you.
So… the amount of gays on TV is directly correlated to those poor kids that killed themselves? Blame it on the bullies!
Your comment is illogical.
Yes, absolutely. Suicide, loneliness, depression all go down when gay teens see positive representations of themselves on TV. I can’t count the number of people who’ve told me that Pedro Zamora saved their lives.
Thats actually very true. Communities with LGBT friendly role models within public spotlight, have a reduced rate of LGBT hate crime and suicides. There is a direct correlation within those statistics
Hey Sh*ttywriter: Who says that they think they are more important? Name one person who said that. They just want to be seen as actually existing. Maybe TV should have no black people, Asians, disabled people or women. Maybe TV should be like Mad Men and be only full of white straight guys. Of all the shows on CBS, not one features a gay person? Who here doesn’t know a gay person, I mean come on!
I think that he was referring to GLAAD and not gays in general.
I agree that CBS should definitely integrate LGBT characters onto their programming but it is nice to see that progress is being made in the greater scheme of things. Not only are there more LGBT characters on television but those same characters – such as Cooper on ‘Southland’ – are becoming increasingly less stereotypical.
PS – ‘Mad Men’ does have a gay character: Sal.
CBS might not have any gay characters , but they employ gay actors on all 4 of thier Monday Night Comedies, Neil Pattrick Harris is one, can you name the others?
@Alan
Am I the only one who’s noticed that the number of network shows with straight Blacks has suffered a STEEP decline since the rise of homosexual characters? It’s as if Hollywood is saying that “pro-gay = anti-Black.”
Well, that would partly explain why many Black Democrats don’t buy the “civil rights = homosexual rights” argument.
Actually, I agree with you somewhat. GLAAD, while well-intentioned, is somewhat of a joke. That said, I think that gay representation in television is just as important as it is for any other sub-section of society. I also find it notable that gay representation this year is more significant in that it is dealing with real gay issues.
aside from the marriage and adoption issues what exactly are ‘gay issues’. are they not people ‘just like us’ with the same issues. and what is interesting is to stop and think about the characters on tv. there are some you know are meant to be straight cause you see them in mixed gender couplings. but not all characters are shown in such a way. could not some of those characters actually be gay. or does gay always have to be flaming and in your face a la Lafayette. in the real world, how many gays do you know that are immediately recognizable as gay, rather than as just people. hmmm
I think it’s interesting that this is a scripted series only analysis when so much of network TV is reality now. I think if they included reality, CBS would be in better standing. For example, last year’s Amazing Race had had 5 LGBT far more than any non Bravo reality show.
*5 LGBT people, far (sorry I hate typos, had to correct.)
Interesting point, actually, that they are not including reality shows. Because they can in some cases, show even more realistic depictions of gay people because it’s just gay people being themselves!
But it would still be, pretty much, a wash, as most reality programming contains gays, and asians and blacks and what ever minority you can think of. And, don’t ignore the fact that some of these people are cast for specific purposes…to create drama or be portrayed as the villain(this applies to gays and straights), so I wouldn’t get carried away in saying that reality programming provides any type of realistic view of these people. You can’t put a bunch of strangers together in foreign settings and expect anything resembling genuine actions and interactions.
it’s not about being more “important” than straight people, and its not sending out a bad message, it’s about equality and educating the viewers about what happens in “real life.”
Just when I think the general public is starting to accept me, I read comments like some of these. Quit insulting me with your bigotry, people. Quit hating me for being born.
Don’t judge the collective by a few voices. Hate is loud but has very little basis in reality. As long as we have religion, we’ll have hate(and that’s not to say that all or even most religious people hate gays; it’s just that those who don’t know how to process it will take it to an ugly extreme.)
frankly I don’t give a damn if you are gay or straight. it’s none of my business unless you are planning to try to score with me.
what I care about is if you are a lying, cheating, nasty human being. if you are, get out of my face and out of my life. if you aren’t, sit down, let’s chat.
I love articles like these because they let me know what tv shows to stay AWAY from.
I feel the same way when I see people like you getting arrested on COPS.
LOL, but don’t give these numbskulls the satisfaction of a response.
…and that, JP, is why you will forever be single and lonely.
I guess JP is forever doomed to watch CBS, which is the sort of cruel fate he deserves.
Don’t worry, there’s no threat of you ever liking one of those shows by accident. I mean, surely you would know that COPS and Ultimate Fighter don’t have gay characters anyway right?
Why are the sexual orientations of characters so important? There’s no problem with gay and lesbian characters on network shows but why is GLAAD fighting for them to be necessary? That kind of hurts the creative integrity of shows doesn’t it? Include them just so it is known they exist and there’s nothing wrong with it? I think the people at GLAAD are fighting against bigotry that doesn’t exactly exist. Any show strictly about Gay people seems to turn into a character study about the hardships they face. The story’s been told. If they wanted to make a character who was casually gay like Oscar on the Office then so be it. When he’s on the show you don’t think a gay joke is DEFINITELY coming. He is the best representation of Gays on any show. Crap like Will and Grace is just condescending and only hurts the cause.
Great point! Oscar is the best gay character on any show. GLAAD is just shooting themselves in the foot.
“He is the best representation of Gays on any show.”
Me thinks you haven’t seen very many shows with gay characters.
Not looking to pick a fight but tell me some better ones? I like how Oscar is portrayed as a smart, capable, respected guy in the Office’s setting. They don’t focus on his sexual orientation.
Actually, I love the way that they’ve handled his character. He the everyman and any problems that do stem from his sexuality are always due to the stupidity of those around him.
I don’t think that he’s prominent enough to be considered the Best representation of the gays but he’s a very positive representation.
The story has been told? Are you kidding me? I’m actually a little more bothered by your post than the ones coming from the hateful idiots. Think about your rationale…if we’re talking about stories being told, let’s look at the zillion stories told about heteros over the years. I’d say your story has been told to death, don’t you think? ANd, if all of these gay characters turn into “character studies”, don’t you think that points to a problem with the writers and not the character? It’s ridiculous to think that a gay character can’t be as layered and nuanced as any straight one.
I also don’t think that GLAAD would be pleased if all the CSIs added drag queens to their casts just for the sake of diversity. GLAAD is promoting gay visibility but also holds such visibility to standards befitting accurate representation of gays.
It’s really funny that straight people will never know how unique it feels to have a normal, well writtengay character or relationship on tv, ’cause…
…well, for it’s not unique, is it? You have plenty of shows and charcters, and films that celebrate who you are as individuals. Is it really that hard for straight people to understand that the fact we want the same is not unfair?
No one’s asking to put an end to straight tv shows/characters/relationship on tv/films, in fact many of them are my favorites, but it’s unfair that I rarely get to recognize something from myself on most of that.
I understand why GLAAD analyzes these networks. They are not ordering shows to have gay characters, just seeing if there is programming that shows gay characters. No one wants to feel like they are not represented in society. I know years ago, T.V. shows had to make more of an effort to include African American characters (resulting in characters like Charlie on Friends). And to those bigots (Samantha), I’m sure it is helpful for gay teens to see characters who experience the same problems and emotions that they do. Therefore, it is not “wrong”, and the characters may in fact be very helpful, good role models.
While it’s great to see more gay and lesbian characters on tv it would be nicer if they have a lot more racial diversity as well.
Well, like the White homosexual community, Hollywood doesn’t want to own up to its racism. Hence, the sudden drop of Black characters of TV overall is no surprise.
it isn’t just important to have lgbt characters on these shows, but to have them be MORE than a lgbt character, stuck in for quota. oscar, from the office, or eric, from gossip girl, are good examples. even kurt, from glee, who is border-line stereotypical (fashion/beyonce/jazz hands loving) gay, has other elements to him that (hopefully) the show will explore. i hope cbs doesn’t respond to this study by needlessly tacking on a few obviously lgbt characters so their ranking improves…
I agree. I’m not as impressed by the numbers that GLAAD sites as I am the quality of the characters. There are many GOOD gay characters on tv right now, non-stereotypical, functional human beings who do in fact represent the gay community. I’ll take one Scotty from Brothers and Sisters over 10 Jack McFarlands any day of the week.
CBS has no LGBT characters?? That should surprise no one. CBS makes television for older people who tend to be more conservative. CBS’s whole mantra is to ruffle as few feathers as possible.
And, it’s a formula that works well for them. The have the highest rated shows on TV, so I don’t suspect that they are going to tweak things much. It does amaze me that these boring, formulaic shows do so well.
I say its wrong for people to say that having a young woman or young man to play a Gay or Lesbian in a movie or Tv series is wrong. Thats sending the wrong message.I say its not right. Bad Role models for the human race.
nice job samantha, you change the name but not the message. However you validate your bigotry it’s still hate, and the world is changing. New generations are repulsed by your thinking, realize that you are a relic
Actually this person just paraphrased Samantha by saying they think what she said was sending the wrong message. Reread the message.
People like you, who allow TV to raise your kids and fictional TV characters to be their role models, are sending much worse messages and being much worse role modles for the human race than a handful of gay characters.