TV Gets Less Gay This Season
LatestGLAAD has realeased its annual “Where We Are On TV” report, and for the first time in four years, the number of LGBT characters on scripted network primetime shows is expected to decrease. That’s particularly sad when you consider that GLAAD even has characters like Roger, the “omnisexual” alien on American Dad, included on its list.
The Associated Press reports that out of nearly 650 roles on the five broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, The CW, Fox and NBC) TV, only 19 are gay, down from 23 last year. That’s only 2.9 percent of regular roles, down from 3.9 percent last year, and 3 percent in the 2009-2010 season. Proving once again that it couldn’t be more different from Fox News, Fox has the most LGBT characters on TV, thanks mainly to Glee. According to GLAAD’s list of characters’ sexual orientation and ethnicity, out of 117 regular characters on the network, eight are gay: Blaine, Kurt, Santana, and Brittany from Glee, as well as two characters from the upcoming show Allen Gregory, Angela Montenegro on Bones, and the aforementioned Roger. This is the first time in six years that ABC didn’t have the most inclusive lineup, and CBS is dead last for the fourth year in a row.