GLAAD, the LGBTQ media advocacy organization, has released its 12th annual Study Responsibility Index followed the films released during 2023. Despite “a huge increase in LGBTQ characters who were front and center in their own narratives”, the study found that the number of films with LGBTQ characters fell in 2023.

The survey looked at 256 films from 10 major distributors and their subsidiaries and streaming services. GLAAD says the index can serve as a guide for studios to identify priorities and opportunities to increase and improve LGBTQ representation and fair, accurate and inclusive storytelling.

Key findings of the study include:

• 70 of the 256 films, or 27.3%, contained an LGBTQ character, a decrease from 28.5% in 2022.
• Those 70 films included 170 LGBTQ characters, of which 46% were characters of color, representing a 6% increase from the 2022 study.
• Of the 170 LGBTQ characters interviewed, only two were transgender, from the films “Next Goal Wins” and “¡Que Viva Mexico!”, from 13 last year. GLAAD noted the “¡Que Viva Mexico!” The character was played by a cisgender man and called the number “alarmingly low”.
• Only two of the 170 LGBTQ characters had a disability, a decrease from 11 in the previous year.

The survey ranked 10 distributors based on the quality, quantity and diversity of LGBTQ inclusion in addition to GLAAD’s Vito Russo Test, a set of criteria to analyze how characters are included in a film. The ratings of the distributors found that A24 was insufficient, while Amazon was good, Apple TV + was failing, Lionsgate was insufficient, NBCUniversal and Netflix were fair, Paramount Global, Sony and Walt Disney Studios were insufficient, and Warner Bros. (NBCUniversal is the parent company of NBC News.)

“Although there is inconsistent progress on LGBTQ representation from major distributors year after year, recent films with LGBTQ leaders prove that our stories can absolutely be critical and commercial successes – when they have the full support of the studio behind them to them,” GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement “As the film production and distribution model continues to evolve, major distributors must deepen investment and intent in storytelling to keep the attention of a growing diverse audience, who crave stories that reflect their experience and values.If LGBTQ representation continues to decline in major releases, these companies will lose relevance with a buying public crucial. GLAAD is committed to continuing and deepening our work with studios and the creative community to ensure we meet this moment together.”

Megan Townsend, GLAAD’s senior director of entertainment research and analysis, said the decline in trans representation was particularly troubling.

“This year’s study found a significant and worrying decrease in the representation of transgender characters and stories, from 12 titles to just two – and one of those films was clearly transphobic, he said. “We know that less than 30 % of American adults personally know someone who is transgender, so they may be more susceptible to lies and misinformation about trans people spread by anti-transgender politicians and activists.”

With the goal of achieving more representation in LGBTQ content, GLAAD leads initiatives such as the GLAAD List of unproduced scripts; the Communities of Color team that launched the Black Queer Creative Summit and Equity in Media and Entertainment Initiative; GLAAD Spirit Day on October 17; the GLAAD Media Institute and the GLAAD research department.