GLAAD to retire LGBTI TV report

US lobby group GLAAD (formerly the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) will end its annual report which charts representation of gay characters in US media.

Since 2008 it has published an annual Network Responsibility Index documenting LGBT content in television shows as a way of encouraging diversity on screen.

But it will now discontinue the checklist.

Writing in Variety, GLAAD president Sarah Kate Ellis explains (select quotes):

We haven’t “won” when it comes to television, because simply getting higher numbers of LGBT people on TV was never the only goal. Since its founding, GLAAD has pushed for fair and accurate representations in the media, and today, as LGBT images on TV continue to flourish, that means better reflecting the rich diversity of our community.

The recent success of TV programs like “Empire,” “Scandal,” and “Orange Is the New Black” is helping us get closer to that possibility. Particularly in the last year, these shows have not only attracted record audiences, but sparked discussions about the importance of programming featuring multiple people of color in major roles, which was followed by questions of whether this was just a “fad” or sign of real, lasting change in the way networks produce programming. It will be up to all of us – creators, viewers, and media advocates alike – to make sure it’s the latter.

Diversity should not be reduced to a “trend,” but rather as a duty to more accurately reflect the reality of the world we live in. The more that popular media reflect the full diversity of their audience, the better their stories will become, and the more viewers will tune in. Including more LGBT characters is only part of the equation; they must be diverse as well – not just in terms of their race and gender, but in their backgrounds, their jobs, their religious affiliations, their challenges, and their dreams. Networks must not only remember the lessons being gleaned from the recent success of diverse programming, but build on them.

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