GLAAD Report Finds LGBTQ Representation on TV Fell Sharply Last Season

LGBTQ stories had some big moments on TV last season. ‘Heated Rivalry’ became a breakout success and ‘Pluribus’ won several Emmys. Overall, though, the 2025-26 season was a down year for LGBTQ representation on television.

The drop didn’t come as a complete surprise. Last November, GLAAD’s previous report counted 489 LGBTQ characters, a 4% increase from the year before. But it also warned that 201 of those characters, or 41%, wouldn’t return because of cancellations, series endings, limited series formats, or characters dying or leaving their shows.

That loss has now shown up in the numbers. In its 21st annual ‘Where We Are on TV’ report, GLAAD counted 369 LGBTQ characters on scripted primetime broadcast, cable and streaming series that aired a new season between June 1, 2025, and May 31, 2026. That’s a 25% drop from the previous season’s 489.

The decline is steep, but it’s smaller than GLAAD had projected. The 41% estimate didn’t account for new or not-yet-announced projects, since the study only counts shows that aired during the tracked season. GLAAD also notes that part of the drop comes from fewer shows being produced last season.

The report’s most striking finding concerns transgender characters. Only 7 of the LGBTQ characters counted were transgender, a drop of almost 80%, and none of the 7 will return next season.

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That doesn’t necessarily mean there will be no trans characters on TV this season. It means the shows those 7 characters appeared on aren’t continuing, either because they were limited series, were canceled, or ended their runs. The decline follows a warning from last year. GLAAD’s previous report counted 33 transgender characters but said only 4 were then set to return.

The report also found a drop in diversity among LGBTQ characters. Only 44% are people of color, an 8-year low. A year earlier, they made up 51% of LGBTQ characters on TV. GLAAD has previously challenged the industry to make sure at least half of all LGBTQ characters are people of color.

The report isn’t entirely negative. The number of nonbinary characters grew in 2025-26. Bisexual characters also made up a bigger share of the total, at 25%, than they did a year earlier.

That’s a notable reversal. The previous report had marked the third straight year of declining bisexual representation, even though bisexual people make up the largest share of the LGBTQ community. GLAAD says the decline goes against what viewers want. According to its research, more than half of Gen Z want to see LGBTQ representation on TV.

GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis argued that cutting LGBTQ stories while demand is growing is a bad business decision. Earlier GLAAD research also found that more than half of LGBTQ Americans and 3 in 10 non-LGBTQ people said they’re more likely to watch a show if at least one character is LGBTQ.

The latest count is well below the record high of 637 LGBTQ characters in the 2021-22 season. Streaming has driven most of the inclusion in recent years, while broadcast and cable representation has steadily declined. With hits like ‘Heated Rivalry’ showing there’s an audience for these stories, the question is whether studios and networks will order more of them next season.

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