LGBTQ Representation On TV Hits All-Time High, New GLAAD Report Finds

Once again, television rather than film is leading the charge when it comes to LGBTQ representation in Hollywood, a new survey has found.

GLAADs 2019 Where We Are on TV report , released Thursday, found that the number of regularly seen LGBTQ characters on primetime broadcast TV hit an all time high of 10.2%, or 90 out of 879 total characters, this season. That figure marked a 1.4 percentage-point increase over 2018 , slightly surpassing the 10% goal GLAAD had envisioned for networks by 2020.

Last year, GLAAD called on the television industry to increase the number of LGBTQ characters and more accurately reflect the world we live in, and they responded by exceeding this challenge, GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in an email statement. At a time when the cultural climate is growing increasingly divisive, increased representation of LGBTQ stories and characters on television is especially critical to advance LGBTQ acceptance.

The report singled out a number of high-profile series, including the CWs Batwoman , Pop TVs Schitts Creek and FXs Pose for making particularly strong strides in LGBTQ representation.

Our annual Where We Are on TV report is out today and it shows TV is telling more LGBTQ stories than ever.

What LGBTQ TV character makes you feel seen?

Tweet us and let us know. #RepresentationMatters pic.twitter.com/aHYn197a36

GLAAD (@glaad) November 7, 2019","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"GLAAD","author_url":"https://twitter.com/glaad","cache_age":86400,"description":"Our annual Where We Are on TV report is out today and it shows TV is telling more LGBTQ stories than ever. What LGBTQ TV character makes you feel seen? Tweet us and let us know. #RepresentationMatters pic.twitter.com/aHYn197a36 GLAAD (@glaad) November 7, 2019\n\n","options":{"_hide_media":{"label":"Hide photos, videos, and cards","value":false}},"provider_name":"Twitter","thumbnail_height":2048,"thumbnail_url":"https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EIybXiwX0AASQvZ.jpg:large","thumbnail_width":2048,"title":"GLAAD on Twitter","type":"rich","url":"https://twitter.com/glaad/status/1192498836176019457","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"news","device":"mobile","editionInfo":{"id":"us","name":"U.S.","link":"https://action.news","locale":"en_US"},"originalEdition":"us","isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isEntry":true,"isMt":false,"entryId":"5dc469e2e4b0fabd5157a5b3","entryPermalink":"https://action.news/entry/glaad-where-we-are-on-tv-2019_n_5dc469e2e4b0fabd5157a5b3","entryTagsList":"television,glaad,pose-tv-series,schitts-creek,sarah-kate-ellis","sectionSlug":"entertainment","deptSlug":"entertainment","sectionRedirectUrl":"https://action.news/entertainment","subcategories":"black-voices,celebrity,women,queer-voices,arts,tv","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"us.entertainment","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc111dcf87c2cd2f5d8bf","overrides":{"front_page_top_videos":{"desktop":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","mobileweb":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d"},"top_media":{"desktop":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","mobile":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"anthology":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"content":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"}},"playerUpdates":{"5668ae6ee4b0b5e26955d6a6":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","56aa41bae4b091744c0440d8":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81","5841b2b5cc52c716ec6e5a7f":"60b8e355cdd90620331ba185","58b5e2b8d85a10302feee895":"60b64316b171b7444beafdb2","58b74698f78ced31417819ae":"60b8e5bec5449357a7ad9b52","58b74ccecebcea57e2c3a3d1":"60b8e5eac5449357a7ad9ca5","58cff690d85a100b9992bc39":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","58cffb3fb6d9b972a49a3c9d":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","58cffdd74d96935d7d6ec180":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","58d03a84f78ced6518eb2fa7":"60b643c82e76be41f112735c","592edf20e0fa177b0c26f7fd":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","5b35266b158f855373e28256":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","5c116f29f79c4171d82b7c2a":"60b64440b171b7444beb040b","5c1170fc600c9a697bf0c6b9":"60b646102e76be41f1127ffc","5c47791afa1b317df8ae0c4f":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","5c477987a6b48b35f164773d":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","5c4779ee943c3c2a64f28371":"60b8e747cdd90620331bb861","5c477a26fcd67b26879bc7c2":"60b8e788c5449357a7ada67b","5d8921a78c3ae845f366c9b6":"60ae7be5f3a7c13a30417ff9","58b98b00ba82aa39a6534321":"60d0de7c9340d7032ad1146c","58b9d14cb6d9b96c9ec32af3":"60d0dec19340d7032ad115a0","58cff8eccebcea42931e0436":"60d0e005b627221e9d819d44","592edf5de0fa177b0c26f95b":"60d0e38fb627221e9d81adcf","58cff72fd85a100b9992c112":"60d0e447b627221e9d81b0da","56b4d34fe4b022697697c400":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","60b8e4c0c5449357a7ad957d":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"ff7fdddc-5441-4253-abc4-f12a33fad58b","clickToPlayPlayer":"d014396e-b366-4c17-aeac-3ce906fa3fd0","videoPagePlayer":"f010447b-d244-4111-a314-7b4542ae4145","verticalPlayer":"e58cb05a-0bc8-4210-9108-fea82726c065","stickyPlayerControl":"52ea1755-d601-4ad1-bccc-d8cce3f0e5da","stickyPlayerON":"8055e9e5-3bda-4933-8d45-9ad814fb6e22"},"topConnatixThumnbailSrc":"https://img.connatix.com/660a6d55-3301-4c6e-8c82-a5ee4df9d5de/1_th.jpg?crop=480:270,smart&width=480&height=270&format=jpeg&quality=60&fit=crop","customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":13},"blog_summary":{"count":0},"before_you_go_content":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":1},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"5dc469e2e4b0fabd5157a5b3","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"mobile","page_edition":"en-us"},"tags":[{"name":"Television","slug":"television","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/television","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/television","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/television"},"relegenceSubjectId":983515,"department":{"name":"Entertainment","slug":"entertainment"},"section":{"title":"Entertainment","slug":"entertainment"},"topic":{"title":"Television","slug":"television","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/entertainment/topic/television"},{"name":"GLAAD","slug":"glaad","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/glaad","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/glaad","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/glaad"},"url":"https://action.news/topic/glaad"},{"name":"Pose TV Series","slug":"pose-tv-series","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/pose-tv-series","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/pose-tv-series","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/pose-tv-series"},"url":"https://action.news/topic/pose-tv-series"},{"name":"schitt's creek","slug":"schitts-creek","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/schitts-creek","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/schitts-creek","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/schitts-creek"},"url":"https://action.news/topic/schitts-creek"},{"name":"Sarah Kate Ellis","slug":"sarah-kate-ellis","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/sarah-kate-ellis","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/sarah-kate-ellis","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/sarah-kate-ellis"},"url":"https://action.news/topic/sarah-kate-ellis"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["

\r\n\r\n","

\r\n\r\n"],"adCount":0},"isCollectionEmbed":false,"enhancements":{}}">

Our annual Where We Are on TV report is out today and it shows TV is telling more LGBTQ stories than ever.

What LGBTQ TV character makes you feel seen?

Tweet us and let us know. #RepresentationMatters pic.twitter.com/aHYn197a36
GLAAD (@glaad) November 7, 2019

Meanwhile, streaming networks Netflix , Amazon and Hulu accounted for 153 LGBTQ characters. Special praise was given to Netflix for having the broadest range of LGBTQ representation across its programming, which includes such diverse shows as The Politician and Orange Is the New Black .

Though Showtimes The L Word: Generation Q and the Disney+ series High School Musical: The Musical: The Series will debut later this year, researchers expressed high hopes for both of those programs given the LGBTQ characters they will add to next years tally.

In her introduction to the report, Ellis offered networks a new challenge for 2025: to ensure that 20% of all series-regular characters on primetime TV are LGBTQ, and that half of those are people of color.

The results of the 2019 Where We Are on TV report mark a sharp contrast to those of GLAADs similar movie-focused survey.

Released in May, the 2019 Studio Responsibility Index found that the number of gay and bisexual characters had increased across mainstream films, but that transgender characters were completely absent for the second year in a row.

Your Support Has Never Been More Critical

Other news outlets have retreated behind paywalls. At HuffPost, we believe journalism should be free for everyone.

Would you help us provide essential information to our readers during this critical time? We can't do it without you.

Can't afford to contribute? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.

You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you.

Whether you give once or many more times, we appreciate your contribution to keeping our journalism free for all.

Whether you give just one more time or sign up again to contribute regularly, we appreciate you playing a part in keeping our journalism free for all.

Support HuffPost

Check out GLAADs full 2019 Where We Are on TV report here .