LGBTQ characters in film decline for third straight year, GLAAD says

The share of major studio releases featuring LGBTQ characters fell for a third consecutive year in 2025, according to GLAAD’s 14th annual film representation study, dropping to 20.4% from 23.6% in 2024 and a record high of 28.5% in 2023.

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The advocacy group, whose report was previously known as the Studio Responsibility Index before being renamed Where We Are in Film, reviewed 225 films released last year by the 10 largest studio distributors, including A24, Amazon, Apple TV, Lionsgate, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Paramount, Sony, Disney and Warner Bros., the Hollywood Reporter reported. Of those films, 46 contained at least one LGBTQ character, down from 59 of 250 films in 2024, and the total number of LGBTQ characters counted dropped to 112 from 181 the year before. 

The decline was most stark in family entertainment. None of the 19 films categorized as animated or family releases rated PG or under included an LGBTQ character, and none of the 225 films reviewed featured a transgender character. Bisexual representation also slipped, appearing in 22% of the 46 LGBTQ-inclusive films, down from 25% the previous year.

GLAAD did point to some exceptions. The group cited horror releases including “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” “The Parenting,” “Companion” and “Weapons” as a bright spot for representation, noting every theatrically released LGBTQ-inclusive horror film with available budget data earned more than double its production budget at the box office. Mid-budget films in the $15 million to $90 million range and independent studio labels also remained a significant source of LGBTQ storylines, the group said. 

GLAAD President and Chief Executive Sarah Kate Ellis framed the trend as a business risk for studios. Ms. Ellis warned the industry risks losing a generation that will go elsewhere to find entertainment that does include our community if it doesn’t keep investing in LGBTQ films.

Megan Townsend, GLAAD’s senior director of entertainment research and analysis, made a similar pitch aimed at younger moviegoers. Ms. Townsend argued that studios courting Gen Z audiences and their box office dollars can’t afford to overlook a demographic she described as especially engaged ticket buyers, citing Gallup data that approximately 23% of Americans under 30 were LGBTQ.

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The report’s release comes as polling elsewhere suggests shifting public attitudes on the subject. A Gallup survey released last month found moral acceptance of gay and lesbian relationships had dropped to 62%, the lowest level recorded since 2016.

GLAAD has published the study, under various names, for 14 years, tracking LGBTQ representation across theatrical and streaming releases from the industry’s largest distributors.