GLAAD Sees Increase in LGBT Characters on TV

There are more lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender characters in shows on the new TV season schedule than a year ago, according to a report from GLAAD.

GLAAD found that 3.9% of series regulars on broadcast TV are LGBT, up from 3.3% last season. They represented a record 4.4% in the 2012 season.

On cable in primetime, 22 more regular characters were LGBT this year, raising the total to 64.

In addition, there were another 33 recurring LGBT characters on broadcast shows and another 41 on scripted cable series.

Their report said there were no LGBT regulars on the CW this season, compared with 3% last year.

GLAAD noted that streaming video companies included a large number of LGBT characters in their original shows.

Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black “contains more lesbian, bisexual and transgender characters than nearly any broadcast or cable series currently on the air,” the report says.

It added that Amazon just premiered Transparent, a comedy about a parent transitioning later in life and her extended family. The show will also include several additional transgender, lesbian, bisexual and gay characters, the report says.

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.