GLAAD rated all ten major film distributors' 2024 releases for their representation ofLGBTQ+characters, and many of the studios fared poorly. In fact, 2024 had far fewer LGBTQ characters than the two years prior, suggesting a disappointing downward trend in progress. The 13th annual edition of GLAAD’s Studio Responsibility Index (SRI) found that 59 films out of 250 contained an LGBTQ character in 2024, only 23.6%. Of the 181 LGBTQ characters, 67 characters (37%) were featured in only one minute of the film, while 49 appeared in over 10 minutes of screen time (27%), 27 had between five and 10 minutes of screentime (15%), and 38 had between one and five minutes of screen time (21%).
2024 was down from 2023, which had 27.3 % based on 70 out of 256 films. 2024 was considerably lower than the all-time high of 2022, which featured 100 films out of 350, making up a 28.5% inclusivity rating. Only A24 scored a “good” rating in 2024 thanks to films likeLove Lies Bleeding,Problemista, andQueer, with 9 of the 16 releases featuring LGBTQ characters, averaging at 56%. Amazon and Universal Pictures earned “fair” ratings. Disney, Lionsgate, and Netflix all scored “poor” ratings. Aside from A24’s offerings, the report did signal positive representation fromMean Girls(Paramount Pictures),My Old Ass(Amazon Studios),Fancy Dance(Apple TV+),Prom Date(Disney) andDrive Away Dolls(Universal). In an official statement, Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD President & CEO, said:
“This year’s findings are a wake-up call to the industry. At a time when LGBTQ people are facing unprecedented attacks in politics and news media, film must be a space for visibility and truth. Representation isn’t about checking a box — it’s about whose stories get told, whose lives are valued, and creating worlds that mirror our own society today. When done authentically, LGBTQ representation builds audience and buzz, while humanizing LGBTQ people as those in power are actively working to take away our humanity.”
LGBTQ+ Representation On Screen Is Down Across the Board
Netflix’s inclusion is particularly embarrassing for them,considering how much they toutedEmilia Pérezas a positive representation for the LGBTQ+ community. The SRI study found thatEmilia Pérezwas one of only two films in the study that featured transgender characters, the other beingMonkey Man. Both titles were mentioned to include either harmful stereotypes or inauthentic casting. In addition to only two films featuring transgender characters, across the 59 films in 2024, 32 included gay men (54%), 23 included lesbians (39%), 15 included bisexual+ characters (25%), three included nonbinary characters (5%), and three included queer characters that don’t fall specifically into other labels (5%).
A New Study Says Female Stars Led a Record Number of Movies in 2024
‘The Substance’ and ‘A Quiet Place: Day One’ led the results of the new study.
In another troubling trend, LGBTQ+ characters of color made up just 36% of all LGBTQ+ characters in the 250 films, down from 46% in 2023, which makes 2024 the lowest since 2019. The number of bisexual+ characters dropped to 10%, while only four non-binary characters were identified, and those characters received no more than ten minutes of screentime. Some might look at 59 films and think that is a significant number, but for perspective, that means 191 films didn’t feature any hint or reference of LGBTQ+ characters, 76.4% of films. A ridiculous number of films did not reference or feature a good part of the population.
These findings are certainly depressing, but sadly not surprising. Due to the Donald Trump administration’s attacks on the LGBTQ+ community, many studios have seemingly been scaling back their inclusivity methods in fear of retribution from the federal government. Disney reportedly went to great lengths toremove any hint of queer feelings fromInside Out 2, and that doesn’t even include television programs, like cutting episodes ofMoon Girl and Devil DinosaurandWin or Losefeaturing transgender characters. Hopefully, 2025 will see an increase, but even if it were to get to the previous high of 2022, that still shows a long way to go in terms of onscreen representation.
