GLAAD's 2015 “Where We Are On
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2015-16 WHERE WE ARE ON TV 2015 Where We Are On TV CONTENTS INTRODUCTION Message from Sarah Kate Ellis, CEO & President of GLAAD 3 Methodology 4 Highlights 5 Summary of Broadcast Findings 6 Summary of Cable Findings 8 Summary of Streaming Findings 10 FINDINGS Sex and Gender 12 Race and Ethnicity 15 Representation of Black Characters 18 Representation of Latino/a Characters 20 Representation of Asian & Pacific Islander (API) Characters 22 Representation of People With Disabilities (PWD) 24 Representation of Bisexual and Bi+ Characters 26 Representation of Transgender Characters 27 Representation on Alternative Television 28 Representation on Daytime Television 29 Representation on Spanish-Language Television 30 GLAAD’s Entertainment Media Team 31 2 2015 Where We Are On TV MESSAGE FROM SARAH KATE ELLIS CEO & PRESIDENT OF GLAAD Twenty years ago, GLAAD began Additionally, LGBT stories must go far tracking the number of lesbian, gay, beyond the common “coming out” bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) narrative. characters on television, and at The expansion of the television the time, you could count them on landscape into digital platforms one hand. Slowly but surely, those is helping to spark these needed numbers increased and just over 10 changes, as content creators like years ago, GLAAD began gathering Netflix and Amazon are making their more comprehensive data about mark with groundbreaking series like diversity on broadcast programming Sense8 and Transparent. This year, for to get a sense of how LGBT people the first time, GLAAD has expanded fit into the picture, and created the our analysis to count LGBT characters Where We Are on TV report. Since on these original streaming series as then we’ve seen amazing changes in well. This is one way the Where We the television landscape, especially Are on TV report has grown this year, in the quantity of LGBT characters. along with more detailed data and But numbers only tell part of the analysis around TV’s gender balance, story, which is why GLAAD is turning and representations of people the focus of its television analysis of color, people with disabilities, to pushing for more diverse LGBT bisexual, and transgender characters. characters and more substantive This will allow GLAAD to more LGBT stories. succinctly identify diversity deficits As each of us lives at the and storytelling opportunities for intersection of many identities, it’s networks and television creators important that television characters moving forward. reflect the full diversity of the LGBT We’ve witnessed tremendous community. It is not enough to just progress in television since GLAAD include LGBT characters; writers must began tracking the presence of LGBT craft those characters with thought characters 20 years ago, but there is and care. They must reject harmful, still a great deal of work to be done outdated stereotypes and avoid token and many new and exciting stories to characters that are burdened with be told. We will continue to applaud representing an entire community networks and streaming services through the view of one person. telling these stories – and hold their The critical and commercial feet to the fire when they don’t. success of series like Empire, Transparent, and Orange Is the New Black can serve as an example to network executives that audiences are looking for stories they haven’t seen before; indeed, there are still plenty of stories about our community Sarah Kate Ellis yet to be told. LGBT people of color CEO & President have remained underrepresented GLAAD for years, and transgender men have been all but invisible in the media. 3 2015 Where We Are On TV DIVERSITY OF REGULAR CHARACTERS ON PRIMETIME SCRIPTED TELEVISION Straight 96% (846 characters) LGBT 4% (35 characters) METHODOLOGY GLAAD’s annual Where We Are on to change based on programming TV report forecasts the expected adjustments over the course of the presence of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and television season. This year, the Where transgender (LGBT) characters for the We Are on TV report counts characters 2015-2016 television season. Counts on scripted series that began after are based on scripted series which air May 31, 2015, and looks at anticipated or are expected to air in primetime casts for the 2015-16 season. between June 1, 2015 and May 31, While we have included an 2016 for which casting has been editorialized chapter on streaming announced. television for several years, this This season marks the 20th year year marks the first time GLAAD has GLAAD has tracked the presence of assessed the regular and recurring LGBT characters on television by LGBT characters on first-run scripted calculating their numbers in scripted series on Amazon, Hulu, and Netflix. primetime programs across both Due to the lack of defined seasons for broadcast and cable networks. In streaming television, GLAAD includes 2005, GLAAD expanded this count into programs that premiered or are the Where We Are on TV report, which expected to premiere between June 1, has allowed us to track trends and 2015 and May 31, 2016 and for which amass statistics for all series regular casting has been announced by the characters on broadcast television content providers. This report counts with regard to sexual orientation, both original series created by the gender identity, and race/ethnicity. content provider, as well as foreign At the beginning of the fall season, series providers have acquired. the information found in this report is accurate, but remains subject 4 2015 Where We Are On TV HIGHLIGHTS Of the 881 regular characters expected The number of regular LGBT characters For the first time, GLAAD counted LGBT to appear on broadcast primetime counted on cable increased from 64 characters on original series that programming in the coming year, 35 (4%) to 84, while recurring characters increased premiered on Amazon, Hulu, and were identified as gay, lesbian, or from 41 to 58. Netflix. GLAAD found 43 series regulars bisexual. There were an additional 35 and 16 recurring LGBT characters across 23 recurring LGB characters. series. There are no transgender characters Bisexual representations rose on All three programming platforms need counted on primetime broadcast both broadcast and cable this year to include more racially diverse programming, while only three recurring with a notable increase (from 10 to 18) LGBT characters. Overall racial diversity trans characters were counted on cable in the number of bisexual men appearing is moving in the right direction with 33% (2%). Streaming series boast the highest on cable programs. Unfortunately, many (287) of 881 regular characters counted on percentage of trans characters at 7% (4) with of these characters still fall into dangerous broadcast programming being people of two notably being series leads. Of the seven stereotypes about bisexual people. color, which is a six-point increase from last trans characters counted, only one was a year. transgender man. GLAAD found that 16% (145) of regular This year, 43% of regular characters For the first time in two years, the percentage characters on broadcast programming on primetime broadcast of regular characters depicted as will be Black, the highest percentage programming are women, which is an living with a disability on broadcast since GLAAD began compiling increase of three percentage points from last programming has dropped, down to comprehensive racial data 11 year but still greatly underrepresents women 0.9% from 1.4% reported last year. Between years ago. However, Black women remain in the population. broadcast and cable, there is only one significantly underrepresented with only 59 recurring character who is depicted as HIV- of those characters being female. positive. 5 2015 Where We Are On TV / Summary of Broadcast Findings SUMMARY OF BROADCAST FINDINGS Clockwise from upper left: Tara Milly “TMI” Izikoff (Anna Konkle), FOX’s Rosewood; Annalise Keating (Viola Davis), ABC’s 6 How To Get Away With Murder; Drew (Brendan Fehr), NBC’s The Night Shift; Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw), ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy 2015 Where We Are On TV / Summary of Broadcast Findings BREAKDOWN OF LGBT CHARACTERS IN PRIMETIME PROGRAMMING ON BROADCAST NETWORKS Lesbian 33% (23 characters) Gay 47% (33 characters) Bisexual female 17% (12 characters) Bisexual male 3% (2 characters) • Of 881 series regular characters One of the most inclusive programs will add the recurring gay character counted on 118 primetime on broadcast television is FOX’s Curtis Holt, who appears as the hero scripted shows on the broadcast musical drama Empire, which broke Mr. Terrific in the DC Comics source networks (ABC, CBS, The CW, several ratings records in its first material. Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. FOX, and NBC), 35 characters are season. In the show’s second season, on ABC will introduce recurring gay LGBT. This is an increase from 32 gay musician Jamal Lyon will be character Joey Gutierrez who has the reported last year. taking on more of a business role as power to spontaneously melt metal. • The overall percentage of the head of the family music label, These are all notable developments LGBT regular characters on Empire. Tianna, a bisexual artist for LGBT representation in genre- scripted broadcast series is 4%, signed to the label, was upped to a driven programming, though it an increase of one-tenth of a series regular this year. Several other is increasingly difficult to ignore percentage point since 2014. gay, lesbian, and bisexual characters that LGBT people remain almost will recur. completely shut out of Hollywood’s • GLAAD counted an additional While crime procedurals have long big budget comic films that have 35 recurring LGBT characters on been a place where LGBT characters dominated the box office over the scripted primetime broadcast were most often included as villains or past several years.