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The CW leads GLBT on US TV

GLAAD has released its annual stocktake of US television shows with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender representation.

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation has released its annual stocktake of US television shows with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender representation.

It found that the five major broadcast networks have all remained relatively steady in the percentage of LGBT-inclusive hours in their primetime programming.

For the second year in a row, programming on The CW topped the report with 33% LGBT-inclusive hours in its original programming. It also reflected the second greatest racial/ethnic diversity among its LGBT faces.

FOX came in second at 29%, ABC was third place at 23%.

NBC  was fourth on 13% and for the third year in a row, CBS was in last place at just 10%.

In cable television ABC Family’s scored a 55% score, only the second time a network has received an “Excellent” rating, Showtime (37%), TNT (33%), HBO (31%), Lifetime (31%), AMC (29%), Syfy (22%), USA (18%) but A&E and TBS were just 5%.

“As television audiences get to know our community and the common ground that we all share on the screen and in their own lives, acceptance is growing,” said Mike Thompson, Acting President of GLAAD.

“Inclusive programming is a hit with critics and audiences alike who cheered for Kurt and Blaine’s romance on Glee or watched the wedding of Callie and Arizona on Grey’s Anatomy.”

Herndon Graddick from GLAAD added, “Programs like Pretty Little Liars and Greek have woven gay, lesbian, and bisexual characters into their stories in a way that mirrors the diversity of our community and the experiences of younger generations.

“Viewers expect to see television environments that accurately reflect what it’s like to be a young adult, and today that includes young adults who happen to be gay.”

20 Responses

  1. They’re gay people on TV?! Quick, call the church-police!

    (I always find that a Monty Python reference helps to quieten troubled waters).

  2. geez why do people make such a big deal of wheter there are gays in a show or not- you watch it cause it’s funny not whether a person is gay..soemtimes i think the gay police go too far.

  3. How is the CW leading? The only gay characters they have are Teddy on 90210 who is being written out next season, and Eric from Gossip Girl who shows up once every six episodes.

    90210 is a pretty craptastic show anyway. I stopped watching after season one

  4. Why are some people on this thread commenting as if the said topic is a mandatory quota i.e local content points here in Australia

    It’s not… all GLAAD are doing is highlighting the results their research has done. Is television content made to only to be the work of complete fantasy or is it meant to sometimes reflect our mainstream society. Truth being that almost 10% of total people don’t identify as completely heterosexual, therefore it’s only fitting that if you do have a cast of more then 10 individuals then it’s only fitting that one of them be either gay/bi/trans ect as reflected in our communities.

    It’s not rocket science..

  5. Oh no David you spoiled me, I haven’t seen the GA final yet! LOL

    I’m all for equal rights and stuff but I don’t like it when they add a gay story line or character just to be PC or in some attempt to improve ratings.

  6. I think some people (not you David) are getting carried away with this. It is not a gay v straight issue. Its simply a debate about quality over tokenism/quotas and whether shows reflect society. The US tends to have the most extreme views about diversity and is very polarised. If you are sympathetic to this report, there is no need to jump on the campaign wagon because someone disagrees with you….aka Henry

  7. @jaxmachine Speak for yourself. I will actively seek out shows with gay characters, otherwise I don’t get to see myself represented on television at all. If you’re white and heterosexual, you can’t possibly understand what it’s like to have very little presence anywhere in the media.

    Imagine if 95% of the shows on TV, the songs on the radio, the billboards you pass on your way to work, the commercials that air constantly around you, the movies you go to the cinema to see – imagine that they were all about gay people, gay romance and gay themes. Don’t you think you might seek out the 5% of media that showcased who *you* are? Don’t you think you might care about whether or not there were organisations working to make sure you were included?

  8. It’s great how they compile reports like this. No doubt, countless straight white people will find it nonsensical since they have no clue what it’s like to be part of a marginalised minority where any form of visibility is valuable.

    @jaxmachine1007, Matt and Jezza:

    What haters!

  9. I don’t see it as an either / or situation of “we should care about the show not the diversity.” It’s possible to do both and this is just 1 report across 12 months, so there is plenty of time to, rightfully, care about the bigger picture.

    GLAAD has found a role in the US which across the years has slapped networks for broadcasting shortfalls (Isaiah Washington anyone?), and if they hadn’t taken stock of these representations years ago it is fair to ask what changes commercial networks might have made since. GLAAD has strived to highlight those representations that are anything but tokenism, as fuller, more-rounded individuals that reflect some of the audience. When pressures force Good Christian Bitches to become GCB we have to recognise that the landscape and commercial pressures over there are much different to ours.

    It’s one article a year on a stocktake. There is plenty of time to admire the rest of a show’s achievements.

  10. It’s great how they compile reports like this. No doubt, countless straight white people will find it nonsensical since they have no clue what it’s like to be part of a marginalised minority where any form of visibility is valuable.

    @jaxmachine1007, Matt and Jezza:

    What haters!

  11. @ Aaron I don’t see how the quantity of characterers in shows, will help reduce suicides of any particular group.

    @ Josh, you almost sound in favour of tokenism. Characters should not change or be created just to service your requirements. Neil PH is a good actor and his character is convincing so does it mean he has gotta play a gay bloke? of course not, its irrelevant. Learn a little from Graham Norton, witty, sharp very entertaining and for me a must see show….quality counts…not his background.

  12. CW has 2 hrs of primetime M-F, FOX has 2 hrs M-Sa & 3 hrs on Su. CBS, NBC and ABC have 3 hrs M-Sa & 4 hrs on Su.

    33% of CW’s 10 hrs is about 3.5 hrs. 13% of NBC’s 22 hrs is about 3hrs. 10% of CBS’s 22 hrs is about 2.5 hrs.

    The GLBT figures distort the facts by trying to show that CW is showing a lot more gay friendly programing than CBS, when they in fact show about 1 hr more per week.

  13. why do even have to have this discussion, you watch a show because of the quality and not because the character is gay or not, just like @matt said.

    once again this is PC gone made

  14. I’m pretty sure it won’t be the CW next year, Teddy’s Gone from 90210 Eric will appear even less then before on Gossip Girl, plus i can’t even think of an Lesbian character on a CW show.

  15. Of all the networks, I’m surprised it’s the CW.

    @Jezza, it may not be irrelevant to you per se, but with LGBT suicide and bullying rates still climbing in the US, it’s good to know that the network that caters to them is doing well by them.

  16. I guess this sort of information is totally irrelevant to most people. I don’t care about the quantity of any group in a show, but I do care about the quality of a drama and do dislike cliched token characters (ie they are only there just to tick a certain box)

  17. Terrific to see that networks are working to make sure it is a more common apsect of shows and not just an OMG moment like in the past which used it more to entice audiences and to have new story lines. Lets hope that the other networks follow suit (especially NBC and CBS who are falling behind – which is rediculous when NBC has shows such as 30 Rock, Chuck, Community, and the Law & Order franchise, and CBS has Big Bang, How I Met Your Mother (which has one of the main actors being gay – Neil Patrick Harris), which all these shows could easily incorporate gay and lesbian characters and storylines)

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