LGBTQ Roles Declining In Movies

Our LGBTQ community is not only being erased by the Trump administration but according to GLAAD’s annual Studio Responsibility Index (SRI), it appears that of the 109 releases from major studios in 2017 only 14 (12.8%) of them included LGBTQ characters. This is a significant decrease from the previous year’s report (18.4%, 23 out of 125) & the lowest percentage of LGBTQ-inclusive major studio releases since GLAAD began tracking in 2012. However while the number of LGBTQ characters dropped substantially there were more racially diverse LGBTQ characters. In 2017 the majority of LGBTQ characters were people of color (57%, 16 of 28). Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD President & CEO stated, “With wildly successful films like Wonder Woman & Black Panther proving that audiences want to see diverse stories that haven’t been told before, there is simply no reason for major studios to have such low scores on the Studio Responsibility Index. At a time when the entertainment industry is holding much needed discussions about inclusion, now is the time to ensure the industry takes meaningful action and incorporates LGBTQ stories & creators as among priorities areas for growing diversity.” Megan Townsend, Director of Entertainment Research & Analysis at GLAAD concluded, “Though wide release films this year like Love, Simon, Annihilation, Blockers & Negasonic & Yukio’s relationship in Deadpool 2, have raised the bar for LGBTQ images, studios must still do more to ensure that LGBTQ storylines & characters are included in fair and accurate ways. We hope that these films are the start of an upward trend of sustained progress & not just a blip in the radar of next year’s SRI.”
For More Info: glaad.org
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