LGBTQ+ screen representation falls again, GLAAD report shows

LGBTQ+ inclusion in major film releases has dropped for the third consecutive year, according to new data from advocacy group GLAAD, with queer people of color and transgender characters facing the sharpest absence.

GLAAD’s annual Studio Responsibility Index reports that only 46 of 225 films released in 2025 by the 10 largest distributors featured LGBTQ+ characters, meaning just 20.4% of films included queer representation. This follows a high point in GLAAD’s 2023 study, when 28.5% of releases included LGBTQ+ characters.

GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis warned that studios are taking a serious risk by deprioritizing queer narratives, The Guardian reports. “If the industry doesn’t prioritize investing in films with LGBTQ characters, it risks losing a generation that will go elsewhere to find entertainment that does include our community,” she said.

Certain sectors of the industry still delivered meaningful inclusion. Mid-budget films drew praise, including Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, After the Hunt and I Know What You Did Last Summer. Horror titles such as The Parenting, Companion and Weapons all featured queer characters and more than doubled their production budgets at the box office, pointing to clear audience demand.

Although LGBTQ+ characters appeared predominantly in supporting roles across the survey, several films placed queer lives at their core. GLAAD highlighted Nia DaCosta’s Hedda, Ethan Hawke–starrer Blue Moon and Eva Victor’s Sorry, Baby as examples of LGBTQ-centered stories welcomed by critics and audiences. “When our stories are centered, those films are seeing success,” the report notes.

Transgender visibility in major studio releases stood at zero across more than 200 titles. The report calls this lack of trans characters “unconscionable” in a climate where anti-LGBTQ+ lawmakers and activists are advancing misinformation, discriminatory legislation and violence against trans communities.

While the study focuses on large distributors, it also highlights standout work from smaller companies that released “incredible LGBTQ-inclusive films that are breaking boundaries and deserve recognition.” Mubi earned praise for The History of Sound and Mother Father Sister Brother, Bleecker Street for The Wedding Banquet, Magnolia Pictures for Plainclothes and Blue Harbor Entertainment for A Nice Indian Boy.

Megan Townsend, GLAAD’s senior director of entertainment research and analysis, emphasized the commercial stakes of overlooking queer viewers, especially younger audiences. “Gen Z represents the largest share of moviegoers in North America,” she said, citing Gallup data that more than one in five Americans under 30 (23%) identify as LGBTQ. “If studios want to stay relevant with younger audiences and bring in box office dollars, they can’t afford to ignore nearly one-quarter of their most enthusiastic ticket buyers.”

The findings add fresh urgency to broader efforts for inclusive storytelling and workplaces across media and entertainment. For professionals, students and employers seeking to champion LGBTQ+ talent and build truly inclusive industries, platforms like myGwork offer a practical way to connect, collaborate and take action - signing up to myGwork can be a next step toward the kind of representation on screen that audiences clearly want to see.