LGBTQ series regulars on broadcast have hit 8.8% (75 characters), with 50% of those characters being LGBTQ people of color.
Thursday, October 25, 2018
LGBTQ Characters Reach Record-High TV Representation
LGBTQ series regulars on broadcast have hit 8.8% (75 characters), with 50% of those characters being LGBTQ people of color.
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There are definitely a couple interesting tidbits in here. This article is mostly statistics and data, but what the trends mean is pretty easy to grasp. The record number of LGBTQ people represented is almost in the double digits percentage wise, which is nearing the actual proportion of LGBTQ people in the general population, generally considered to be about 11%, although I would venture a guess that that number is moving up as Gen Z is coming of age. After all, we've grown up knowing relatively little of the prejudice that previous generations of LGBTQ people have faced, even if many still face significant hardships because of their identity. In my personal opinion, representation of a given minority should roughly correlate to that minorities actual representation in a population. Along that line, I find it very interesting that 50% of the LGBTQ characters in television this year were people of color. I may be wrong, but I believe that is actually an overrepresentation of a relatively small demographic. I'm of the opinion that erring on the side of over representing marginalized groups is probably for the best, but it's interesting nonetheless, especially considering the well-reputed theories about the "double bind" of intersecting prejudices effectively leading to exponential oppression.
These percentages are very heartening to hear, and I am so glad that the representation of LGBTQ characters, characters of color, characters with disabilities, and characters that reflect gender parity, is improving overall. In tandem with the article that touches on Cate Blanchett's comments regarding straight actors playing LGBTQ characters, however, I find it interesting that these statistics are mentioned nowhere in this article. It is great to have the representation up, but what if the actual casting has not changed? In a way, this references another article from a few weeks ago where the writer discussed how entertainment needs to have equal representation both on, and off, stage/screen. If you are still preferring to cast straight, cisgender, non-disabled actors in the roles that represent LGBTQ, disabled characters, are you really improving the industry, honestly? It is wonderful that viewers can see these stories on TV and connect with people who look or feel like they do, but to know that the real humans portraying these favorite characters are actually just like their audience members, is truly something to strive for.
This article was a little beacon of hope for me scrolling through all of the articles this week. I am so glad that LGBTQ characters are on the rise, and especially those of colour. This is not to say that there are still not issues with casting; we still have a long ways to go with casting able-bodied people for disabled roles, strait people for non-straight roles, and cisgender people for trans or non-binary roles, etc. Still, I am happy to see more representation, and I only hope that this trend continues. I have also noticed in more recent film and television, that LGBTQ roles are moving away from the token "gay best friend" and other stereotypes, and instead using three dimensional characters who's gender or sexual identity is not their whole character but instead just a small part, much like real people are not totally defined by their LGBTQ traits.
It is so great to see that the amount of LGBTQ characters are on the rise because it shows that even in this political climate the arts continues to get more progressive. It's even better to see that almost half of these characters are people of color, as people at the intersection of these identities have historically been underrepresented or ignored entirely. I would definitely like to see the breakdown by cable channel to see how inclusive they are of LGBTQ characters, as I know some are much more progressive than others. I wasn't surprised to see that Netflix was one of the companies at the forefront of this, and I hope that other channels follow their example. I think Ali brought up a great point in that casting for these characters is still an issue, as many times people who don't actually belong to these communities are cast in these roles. However, this is still great progress and I hope that this increase in LGBTQ characters continues.
This makes me so happy that there is a lot more representation for this population. LGBTQ individuals make up a significant portion of our population and are now beginning to make their way onto the screen. This is something that is a touchy subject because so many people are still anti LGBTQ so having them as main characters on popular shows could hurt audiences. However, I am glad that people are willing to take that risk because it reaches out to a whole new audience of underrepresented people. Especially the LGBTQ people of color. Having them on screen is a really big thing. I know that my friends who are LGBTQ people of color are really excited when they see a character that reflects themselves on screen because it is so new to them. For myself, whenever I see asian LGBTQ characters I get excited because I see a part of myself on screen and it great to be able to relate with more characters.
I am genuinely so happy with this. Being a trans gay male, representation is incredibly important to me and holds immeasurable value. I thoroughly appreciate the current media expressing diverse humans who all deserve to be seen the same amount. While some things are better for the LGBTQIA+ community now, other things are still the same amount of difficulty if not more. While this representation is amazing, it is still significantly smaller than what it could be. Many characters didn’t even get more than 5 minutes of screen time, and that is honestly incredibly disappointing for me. I am very proud of GLADD for reporting on this and taking the time to gather all the data and rate all these movies.I also like their call to directors and scriptwriters to write more LGBTQIA+ stories and increase their incredibly important standing in the media. We need to learn to let everyone live as who they are, and that starts with accepting all humans as people, not just LGBTQIA+ people, but differently abled people, people of different races, and all people.
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