Organization GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) has conducted its 2021 study of LGBT+ representation in film, and it does not look good. Although the findings are poor, it is an improvement and a step in the right direction, especially for some of the major film studios.
The overview of the findings of the GLAAD LGBT+ study examined the 77 films released theatrically in 2021 under the seven big studios. 16 (20.8 percent) included LGBT+ characters, a decrease of 1.9 percent from 2020. That breakdown shows that of those films, 11 (69 percent) films featured gay character(s), four (25 percent) featured a lesbian character(s), 2 (13 percent) for a bisexual character(s), and one (seven percent) for a transgender character(s). Comparatively, this saw a decrease in lesbian representation as lesbians were 50 percent of films deemed inclusive.
It does note the sample size difference due to COVID-19 shutting down theaters for a large part of 2020 and the numerous delays of films that were slated for the year.
GLAAD study looks at LGBT+ representation in film in 2021
The gender breakdown found more men than women with no binary representation. Of the 16 films and 28 LGBT+ characters, 19 were men and 9 were women, and one of the men was a trans man, the only transgender representation in the year. These findings show a decrease in women within the LGBT+ community in film.
Similarly to non-binary characters, there were no LGBT+ characters with disabilities.
LGBT+ characters of color were seen less, as the GLAAD study found. Out of the 28 characters, 11 (39 percent) were of color. When it came to specific demographics, there were 17 who were white (61 percent), five who were Black (18 percent), two Latinx (seven percent), Asian/Pacific Islander (seven percent), one multiracial (four percent), and one Middle Eastern (four percent).
The genres that did the best in achieving LGBT+ inclusion were Genre (horror, sci-fi, superhero, fantasy, etc.) and Drama. For genres, it found Drama to be the most inclusive, with six (33 percent) out of 18 films. Genre had the most films due to the sheer number of genre films, with eight inclusive out of 35 releases (23%). Comedy had eight releases, with two being inclusive (25 percent), Family with 13 films and no representation, and three documentaries, also at zero.
The GLAAD study on LGBT+ representation looked at what studios did the best and worst. Disney came out on top when it came to the number of inclusive films, like Lightyear and Eternals. It had a total of five movies out of 12 with inclusion (42 percent). United Artist Releasing had the highest percentage, with four inclusive films out of nine (44 percent). The rest were Universal, with three films out of ten (30 percent), Sony’s two films out of 15 (13 percent), and Warner Bros. having two films out of 17 (12 percent). Paramount and Lionsgate had no representation from the former’s total six films and the latter’s eight.